


She-Ra Versus the Princesses of Power

by Ergoemos



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Genre: F/F, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-08-27 05:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16696702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ergoemos/pseuds/Ergoemos
Summary: What if Adora got her sword and returned to the Horde, but at the cost of Catra falling into the Rebellion? Can the Princesses even stand against She-ra, trying to unite Etheria under the banner of Hordak and for the honor of Greyskull?Mainly Catra PoV with more explicit violence.





	1. That Sword, Pt 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had this in mind since I first saw the show, and needed to get it out of my head, so I could get to my other long-form fanfic "Heir to Nothing" about a Zelda-centric Breath of the Wild. 
> 
> No shipping today. When I continue this, there might be some later down the line. 
> 
> I'd not expect frequent updates, but I will be back occasionally as my brain leaks more ideas onto the page.

“Are you sure you aren’t brain damaged?”

“I know I saw something out there. I just-, I need to go get a better look. It feels important.” Already Adora’s eyes wandered away, into the distance, no doubt toward those Whispering woods. Catra smiled, used to Adora’s little quests. 

“Sounds good, let’s go.” 

Adora grabbed her before she could take a step, saying, “No, I don’t want you getting in trouble on my behalf.” Catra was surprised that Adora couldn’t feel Catra bristle at the words with that warm hand on her shoulder.  “Just cover for me, okay? I’ll be back before anyone knows I’m gone.”

“Adora!” Adora had already sprinted off, towards the same skiff hanger, they’d escaped from before, her boots thudding softly on their home’s metal flooring. “Adora!” Catra sighed. Any time Adora did something crazy, it always blew back on her. Well, not this time, maybe. Adora was  _ Force Captain _ after all. Catra glanced back at their dorm, knowing she would do better in training tomorrow with more sleep. 

Then again… Catra’s eyes caught Adora turn a corner, her ponytail vanishing. Catra trusted Adora, most of all to find the most trouble. And sometimes, that was fun. While Shadow Weaver oversaw Catra’s promotion out of training, she might never see the world outside of the Fright Zone, except for this.

Sneaking into the Hanger was easy as rations, and Catra found their skiff, still scuffed from Adora’s mistrust in Catra’s piloting. Adora was refueling it, so Catra decided to get into the rafters just above the exit. 

It was so easy, Catra wondered why she’d never tried to do this before, and as Adora skimmed out of the garage, Catra landed on the top of the metal sail with only the slightest bump. 

Adora was sweating whatever she was worried about so badly she didn’t notice the bump at first, and Catra figured it would better serve them to argue once they got a little further from the base. Adora loved to argue. 

When the forests were in sight, Catra hopped to the front of the bow, rocking the skiff. “Wow, the forests and night are even spookier than back home.” While she perched on the tip of the Skiff, she wrapped her arms and tail about her, saying, “Cooler too. At least the metal retains heat and blocks the wind, you know?”

As Catra looked, Adora was aghast, “Catra!”

“Hey Adora.” Catra dismissed Adora’s dramatic response. “I figured if I was going to get nailed for your disappearance, I might as well be involved, am I right?” 

“Catra, what are you doing here?!”

“Relax, I am going to let you drive, I didn’t know you were so possessive of the controls.” Catra lied, knowing that Adora was almost as much a control freak as Shadow Weaver. “I just figured if you were going to look for something, you could use the help. I got your back.” 

Adora’s frustration softened, and she said, “Thanks, Catra.”

“And if you are brain damaged, I’ll get credit for bringing you back.” Catra turned back to the forest, unable to contain the smirk.

“Ugh, Catra...” 

The forests were darker and more foreboding than before, and Catra let Adora take the lead for now, since she seemed to be the one desperate to find something out here.

They’d smartly left the skiff at the edge of the woods, mutually and silently agreeing that if they wrecked it, they would face more trouble than by just being late home. 

The woods were dense and foreboding, though Catra didn’t have much trouble spotting where they’d clipped that tree. “Hey Adora! I know where we are. You want me to show you where I hopped the skiff back to the ground?”

“Shhh, Catra.”

“What? We aren’t near any settlements around here. Anyway, I found you back that way just a little. Wouldn’t your sword be-”

“Catra! I’d-” She turned to face Catra. Catra swallowed back an angry retort, having rarely seen Adora look so frustrated, “- really appreciate it if you just helped look.” 

Catra mumbled something, acquiescing. Adora really was bothered by something.

Adora decided to push herself through the thickest of the bushes, and Catra went around instead, finding purchase with her claws in the rough bark of these weird living structures without purpose. 

Catra knew she heard some additional rustling but hadn’t realized Adora had gotten so far ahead when she finally rounded the tree. “Hey, Adora?”

No answer, until someone suddenly screamed “Horde Soldier!”

Ugh, Adora was always finding trouble. Catra leapt from the branch to the ground to catch up.  Catra found herself watching Adora facing two other cadet-age rebels, both screaming. One of them had a bow and quiver of arrows, and the other clutched a crystaline sword. They both ran, Adora yelling back, “Wait, Give me back my sword!”

Catra ran ahead to cut them off,  finding it much easier to navigate the low branches than the ground. She dropped ten feet in front of them, her claws low and wide, “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Yeagh!” The shorter of the two, holding the sword thrust a fist at her and a cloud of shimmering light swirled around Catra’s head, blinding and painful. 

Catra exclaimed in agony. One hand shot up reflexively to paw at her eyes, but she kept one and flailed, scoring the grab on someone.

The archer, she thought, by his shout and he fell to the ground, taking her with him.

The woman - no, the Princess - shouted, “Bow!”

The one Catra grabbed was quick to react and knocked her hand from his shoulder, but she pounced again, the light fading now from her eyes. 

She landed atop the archer and knocked him back down to the ground, legs around his chest. She raised one hand to take a meaty swipe from his face when the Princess tackled Catra from her prey completely. 

Adora finally caught up, slow poke, but now Catra had a princess atop her, throwing heavy fists at her eyes and ears. Catra raised her hands to defend herself. 

Seeing the sword inches away, Catra was relieved - even as she was getting pummeled - that Adora wasn’t brain damaged after all. 

Bow, the archer, however, had recovered enough to nock an arrow and Catra realized she needed to stop playing games. “Ow!” A fist hit her ear and now she was mad. She bucked the Princess off of her, and rolled over the sword, grabbing it by the crossguard. 

Adora yelped, and Catra leapt to her feet to find her friend caught in a net that had burst from the arrow. 

The two of them turned to Catra, who now held the sword, and she backed uphill slowly, finding herself suddenly at the edge of a steep drop-off. The two rebels, followed her closely. 

“Adora? You alright?”

“Just... Just a second!” 

Adora, best fighter in the academy, can’t fight her way out of a rope bag. Catra did feel bad for those who didn’t have claws like her. “Adora, just get the skiff ready when you decide to free yourself. I’ll be after soon.”

“Oh she won’t be doing any of that. We’re going to capture both of you Horde scum and find out why you want  _ our _ sword.” The Princess was really confident, but she had the same worried eyes Kyle had when a training mission seemed to be going well. 

Catra grinned, “Oh really, and what makes you think you’ll be catching me?” 

“Glimmer…” Bow said cautiously, as he pulled out another arrow. 

“I got it, Bow. Just… trust me!”

The princess vanished in a magenta and infrared burst of sparkles, not blinding this time, but then Catra had hands around her throat and feet wrapped about her waist, while Bow ran at her.  

“Gyadora!” Catra yelped out, as she tossed the sword back down the hill to her friend, who’d finally gotten a hand free. 

All of them watched the arc of the blade, Catra desperately hoping she didn’t throw the blade into Adora and hurting her. 

It landed next to Adora’s free hand, and she clasped it, only for the sword to suddenly glow fiercely bright. All of them flinched, and Catra, already off balance at the edge of the dropoff, clasped Bow’s jacket and they all three tumbled backwards off the hill.  

The tumble wasn’t fun for any of them. If Catra hadn’t had a rebel sized packaged on her back, she might have managed to right her center of balance. Instead, she only half managed to turn around, but didn’t get her feet under her, which meant she more or less crashed to the ground chest first, with the Princess on top. 

Catra’s breath rushed out of her and she felt Bow tumble to a stop next to her.  

“Bow, are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I landed on my bow really hard though.”

“Focus Bow! I am going to get to the sword. Hold this one down!”

Catra sucked in breath as Glimmer got up. Catra grabbed onto her boot just before she vanished again. “No…” Catra said still wheezing.

“Let go!” The princess Glimmer kicked Catra in the face. Catra made a high, weak noise. The blow was no worse than when Lonnie had cornered her during the week Adora was sick with fever. But it  _ did _ still hurt, and she was pretty sure she was bleeding. Catra still didn’t let go and latched onto the other foot she still had her grip on, Glimmer fell to the ground again. 

“Bow!”

“Glimmer, do you hear that?”

“Bow, help me subdue this prisoner!”

Bow was standing as Catra was clawing her way, wobblingly, to her feet. Her nose was definitely bleeding, she could taste the tang on her lips. 

Glimmer was up and about to throttle Catra, who didn’t know if she had the energy to stop her at the moment, when Catra heard it and felt it too. 

The ground was shaking, and there were cries of some unfamiliar thing coming closer. At the far end of the clearing they landed in, opposite the cliff, a horde of four legged, green beasts, panic in each of their many eyes, were charging right for them. They weren’t quite as tall as Catra, but there were enough of the beasts that they would be trampled if caught in the wave. 

Startled, the three all took half a second before Catra barked a small “Run!” between gasps. 

They bolted, all three running along the ridge. Catra wasn’t keeping up, weak from her fall and still gasping. She tasted blood and couldn’t breathe through her nose. She had to keep up. Get ahead. Maybe if she tripped the other two, she could escape. Maybe Adora was just about to jump down and play the hero again, saving Catra and giving her crap for it. Catra already had a few moments to offer where she’d saved Adora, but she was getting weak and falling behind, and the hooves seemed so close behind. 

Ahead, in the cliff face they were following, there was a ledge, about ten feet up. The other two noticed it as well, and the princess shouted, “Bow!” pointing to it. She clapped her hands on his shoulder and they both vanished, appearing on the ledge. 

Not fair, Catra wanted to exclaim. Catra threw herself at the ledge herself, claws scrambling for purchase and finding too little. She was sliding back down and going to get swept into the monsters of the forest, her eyes wide open in horror as she saw the two rebels slip further away. 

“Here!” The rebel Bow fell to his chest and offered the end of his bow to her, to grab onto. She clasped it, desperate as he pulled upwards. Her feet flailed for purchase and the princess began to help pulling her up too. 

Catra finally found herself lying on the ledge with the other two, but no matter how much she puffed, she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Bow wavered at the edge of her vision, asking, “Hey, are you alright?” Just as darkness overtook her vision. 

\---

“Hey, I think she’s waking up? Any luck finding the other one, or the sword?”

“No, I think your tracker is busted. It keeps going crazy.” 

“My tracker is not busted, it’s just sensitive and you hurt its feelings. You should apologize.”

“Bow, come on, I’m trying to be serious. We lost the other one  _ and _ the sword.”

Catra’s sense of her surroundings was slowly coming back. She had a bad headache, but her arms wouldn’t move from behind her back, she was laying sprawled out, something she never did, and it was taking forever to pry her eyes open. Her nose hurt too.

“Ugh.” She let out an involuntary grown as she tried to roll over onto her side. Her shoulders hurt too, but she was glad she’d caught her breath.

“Hey, are you alright?” 

“Bow, don’t talk to the prisoner.” 

“Glimme-er, if she’s really hurt, it won’t do us any good to take her back to Brightmoon.”

Glimmer relented, “Fine.” 

Catra failed to roll over and realized she wasn’t going to be left alone, so she finally decided to pry open her left eye, where Bow and Glimmer seemed to hang over her, the dense foliage of the forest above them. 

“My wrists hurt, could you check them for me?” She demanded, not willing to give them an inch yet.

“That’s because we bound them, Spy, You don’t get to ask questions, I do. Are you hurt or not?”

Ah, her wrists being bound did make sense. Catra sighed and slowly struggled to sit up, still a little woozy, “Well, you might have broken my nose, and my head hurts from when you kicked me. I’d feel better if you told me you’re sorry.” Catra smirked at Glimmer, who looked furious enough to kick her again. 

“Glimmer, don’t. Look, we don’t know who you are, or what you are doing here, and you attacked us first. We aren’t going to apologize for that.” Apparently, Bow had thought it likely that Glimmer was going to kick her again too. 

Catra tried to look back at her bindings, but they were too far up her wrist, and her claws couldn’t quite reach them. 

“How did you two make it so far into the Whispering Woods, spy?” 

“Spy? Ha, you think that Shad-” Catra swallowed that back, not wanting to think about Shadow Weaver finding out about her being captured, “We just walked in? We weren’t that far from the edge anyway.”

“Sure sure,” Glimmer motioned dismissively, “You just so happened to wander into the Whispering Woods. Just like you just so happened to steal our sword and hand it off to your friend.”

Catra could see how that would seem like spy work, but felt compelled to defend herself, “Yeah, we did. And my friend had found the sword first. It’s the only reason we’re here at all. She was _ obsessed _ with finding it. Any minute now she’ll find us and beat the crap out of you for capturing me, anyway.”

“The Whispering Woods is under the control and protection of the Rebellion.  _ You _ were lucky to make it as far as you did. I am sure if your  _ friend _ were still her, she’d be long lost by now.” Glimmer walked around Catra as she did, before turning to Bow saying, “Come on, Let’s take her to Brightmoon to be  _ interrogated properly _ .” 

Catra restrained an involuntary shudder, the word ‘interrogated’ making her think of Shadow Weaver at her worst moods. Glimmer took Bow aside and murmured to him as Catra slowly found her feet, her chest still aching from the rough landing earlier. 

“Come on, Spy, let’s get moving. I got your tracker, Bow.” 

Catra walked the soft grassy earth between Glimmer and Bow. She was pretty sure she could have taken them both with one hand tied behind her back, but with both, it was not as easy a proposition. And the Princess could teleport, which would complicate things. 

They walked for some time, the forest growing darker, even as it must have been nearly dawn by now. Catra would hobble to scratch the soft loam and grass with her claws with every few steps, hoping the trail of broken earth would stick enough for the forest not to ruin the trail. Adora could follow those breadcrumbs, surely. 

“Hey Glimmer, you sure we’re going the right way?”

“Yes, Bow, I know where we’re going! Just trust me!” Glimmer seemed to vanish and reappear in a tree branch above, with that same flash of magenta and infrared. 

“I trust you, Glimmer, Its just, I grew up in these woods, and I’ve never seen this area before. There are stories about the weird stuff out here.”

“It’s fine, just keep an eye on the prisoner!”

Bow pushed aside a branch for Catra, one Glimmer had just teleported past. “Okay! Sheesh.” He looked at Catra, giving her a small smile, “Sorry, She’s usually really nice.”

Catra raised her brows at him, wondering just what kind of rebel soldier he was. “Oh yeah, that’s definitely the impression I got from the bottom of her boot on my face.”

“Yeeaah. Sorry about that. We were looking for First One’s tech to impress... well. Anyway, I tried to clean up as much of the blood as I could.” He motioned with a blood stained handkerchief he’d pulled out of his pocket. 

“Yeah, well, its fine.” Catra wasn’t used to people worrying about her pain, and it disarmed her. “More courtesy than you’d have gotten from a horde soldier.” 

“Aren’t  _ you _ a horde soldier?” 

Catra sighed, “No, not yet. Just a cadet-in-training. My… the other one just got promoted to an officer.” 

“Why would you fight for the horde?”

Catra blinked, “Well, it’s one guaranteed meal a day. Maybe more if you can steal something.”

“You get  _ just one _ meal a day?” He looked aghast. 

Catra frowned as she hopped over an overgrown underground tree-branch, scratching it in the process, “You get two when you are actually enlisted. Well, so the soldiers brag… Officers get unlimited water rations too.” She didn’t like the way this was going, and asked, “So I guess the princesses aren’t actually raging monsters with uncontrollable powers?”

Bow laughed as they watched Glimmer teleport from perch to perch. “Is that what Hordak told you?” 

“Oh, just some of the many lies we get told to feel lucky enough to serve him… She’s… not going to kill me is she?” Being killed would put a serious damper on escaping, or being rescued. 

“Who, Glimmer? Pshaw, no. She’s just worked up is all.” 

There was a cry in the distance, sounding like Glimmer. They both hastened to catch up, Catra forgetting to leave marks in her curiosity.

When they came upon the ruins of a town, Catra swallowed back a prepared joke, knowing almost immediately what she was seeing. 

Glimmer bent to pick something up but Catra looked away when she saw what looked like the charred remains of a person, too small to be an adult, to shadowy for the others to see.

“Are you proud of your work, destroyer?” Glimmer was stomping back to them, and Catra wouldn’t… couldn’t face her. “Glad to see the work your raiding party left behind?!” 

“I told you, I didn’t… I am just a cadet.” Catra didn’t know what she was trying to defend. She’d never thought she would need to defend the horde from criticism, just fight for it. The destruction here wasn’t any worse than when the police ‘cleaned up’ a back alley but the looks on Glimmer and Bow’s faces. 

“Yeah, and training to do just this sort of thing! How can you even justify this?” 

Catra turned to look at the burned husk of a village, barely able to fight off just one seeker bot. Good on them, but at what cost? “Lord Hordak… tells people he is trying to bring unity to Etheria, to bring order. That he knows what’s best for the world.” 

“Order?! Unity?! All your armies do is destroy villages, bring pain and suffering upon the innocent and weak. Your horde and you are just monsters, preying on anyone unable to fight back!” Glimmer stomped off, unable to face Catra. Which was fine, because Catra couldn’t face her then either. 

She was glad Adora wasn’t here now. She’d be devastated. That Adora still wanted to believe the propaganda fed to her was one of the few reasons Catra knew she needed to be around to protect Adora. 

Catra followed, sullen, as Bow asked, “Did you really not know this?”

“I’m not a fool. I- … It was where I was raised. Where else could I go? I was just a stray.”  Catra didn’t know if she should even be saying any of this. “Do you think he treats his own people any better?”

Bow sighed, saying, “Yeah… and your friend, ‘Adora’, wasn’t it? She’s with them too?” 

Catra looked down, not saying anything. Bow continued, “I don’t know what it’s like, being raised in the Evil Horde, and I don’t pretend to. But… that doesn’t mean you have to stay with them.”

Catra didn’t say anything to that either, but silently knew she’d not leave Adora behind. If Adora wasn’t so hard headed about seeing things clearly… No, that was madness. Catra couldn’t think she could convince Adora to defect with her. Could she?

Glimmer shouted in the distance again, this time the sound approaching quickly. 

“Something’s coming. Something big!” 

Behind them, the earth shuddered and erupted in a geyser of dirt and rocks. A giant insect, at least twice as big as a tank, appeared before them and roared a challenge. 

They all backed away, and the beast followed, blue eyes glowing in the near dawn light. 

It slammed a claw down and earth threw them all back, Catra leaping half behind a tree, but her movement limited by her bound hands. 

The bug raised its claw again, and Bow fired some arrow that exploded into sticky slime over its face. 

Glimmer threw sparkles at it, and Catra crept around the tree and out of the clearing, keeping her eyes on the trio, her captors and their assailant. 

She could slip away now, and be back to the Horde mid-day. Maybe Shadow Weaver would go easy on her. But then, she had no idea where Adora was, and if Adora hadn’t made it back… Catra would be flayed alive. Surely Adora was still tracking her. 

Glimmer got knocked aside and Bow grasp for an arrow, any arrow, and Catra growled. 

She ran at the bug, leaping from its leg onto its back, yelling, “Hey flea brain, you got mammals!”

She bit at one of its antennae things, scratching with her feet at its carapace. She had little to show for the effort, but the bug’s sudden reactionary screech, and violent motions. She tried to hold on without hands, “Mhhm, whoa!” before she was flung off and back the way she came. She took part of one of its antenna with her, though and spat it out as she landed on her feet a dozen paces away. 

Though, for what were a dozen paces to Catra was barely more than one for the bug thing as it turned on her now. She ran as fast as her feet could take her, wishing she could take to the tree branches. 

“Hey! This way!” The voice started distantly, but the last part was right in Catra’s ear as the princess popped next to her and grabbed her arm. 

Next thing Catra knew everything went infrared and she was somewhere else, stumbling to one knee, with Glimmer clasped onto her side, with Bow nearby. “Come on, that won’t throw it off for long!” The three scrambled down a different path out of the clearing, and up a hill. 

“Give me your hands!” Bow shouted as he came up beside Catra. 

“This is not the time for heartfelt confessions, do you think?” Catra had no idea what Bow was thinking, but that’s all that came to mind. 

“No, your binding!”

“Bow!” Glimmer shouted

“No time, Glimmer!” As they all heard the rampaging bug thing behind them again. 

Catra angled to face Bow and he used one of his arrows to cut at the rope, though its point nicked at her forearm a few times. “Hey, watch it!”

“Sorry, this is really hard to do while running!”

A few of the cords snapped, and Catra tugged, feeling it loosen. “I got it!” Bow put the arrow away and they all ran headlong over a cliff, Glimmer first trying to stop with a belated “Eep!”

They all three tumbled down the slope together, again. 

Catra groaned, spitting out some dirt, “You’d think you’ve fallen down all the cliffs to fall down in the Whispering Woods, but no. There’s always another.” She hadn’t had the chance to land on her feet because Bow crashed into her side, clinging, as they careened. 

“Really, jokes?” Glimmer groaned as they rolled off of her. 

The three of them found themselves in some kind of box valley, or something, surrounded by slopes on all side. Ahead of them was some sort of triangular door, not unlike the sliding doors used in the Fright Zone. They got to their feet just long enough to hear the bug stomping up the hill after them. 

They crouched down, nearest the cliff and hoped it wouldn’t spot them, but no such luck, it screamed again and started to try to climb down. “Run!” Catra shouted. They all went for the door as the bug tumbled down after them. 

“How do you open this thing?” Catra yelled, looking for a release, or a latch.

“Why should I know?” Bow answered, just as panicked. 

Catra looked up the cliff, trying to figure out if she could scramble up quickly enough. “It’s in  _ your _ forest, I don’t know how your doors work!” Maybe, if she were lucky, but she’d only be saving herself, and leave these two to die an ugly death. Bow was trying to pry the door open. 

“Guys, I have a plan!” Glimmer said, looking serious. 

Catra turned to face the bug thing, “Yeah, I was thinking fight it too. I’ll go around and-” 

“No, I can teleport us three inside.”

“Glimmer, You’ve never teleported three people before!”

“Do you have a better idea?!”

The stones that has fallen on the bug began to shift and it roared again, so big it occupied half the canyon. “Whatever you do, do it quick!” Catra was beginning to regret not just leaving the two to die. Better these two dead than all three of them. 

Glimmer grabbed Catra’s arm just as she was about to pounce on the bug thing’s face. The last thing Catra heard was Bow’s “Glimmer, no!” as they all teleported into darkness. 


	2. That Sword, Pt 2

The chamber was dark after the flash of magenta and infrared faded, dark even for Catra’s eyes, but she recalled the appearance of crystalline walls and ruined floors.

“Glimmer!” Bow shouted as they both felt her stop holding herself up. They both caught her, and lowered her to the ground a moment, Catra angling to keep her off some sharp looking rocks. 

“I can’t see her. Can you?”

“Yeah, she’s passed out it looks like, but fine.”

“She’s not missing any parts?!”

“What? Why would she be missing parts?”

“Well, sometimes, when she was younger, she’d teleport too much stuff and leave parts behind.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, like once my shoe, another time, half her hair.”

Catra stepped back, disturbing some rubble. “What are you doing?” Bow asked. 

“Making sure I didn’t lose my tail or something! You didn’t warn me we could lose parts!”

“Oh, well… Could you check me too?” 

“Could you… talk more quietly? Please?” Glimmer asked, shifting weakly. 

Catra checked over Bow as he clucked over Glimmer. No one lost anything important that she could tell. Catra just hoped they couldn’t lose something from  _ inside _ their bodies. 

“I’m fine, Bow. Jeez.” Glimmer stood up and cupped her hands to create another one of those balls of shimmering light, this time not exploding it in Catra’s face. Bow caught Glimmer as she wobbled a bit. “I’m fine!” she insisted. 

It created enough illumination to for them to see where they were walking, and it allowed Catra to see just how tall this chamber was. Was it bigger on the inside than it was outside? It was pretty; Adora would have liked it. 

“Why did I even save you, Horde scum? It was hard enough to blind jump.” Glimmer shoved past her. 

Catra’s eyes narrowed, not one to take an insult cold, “Wow, when they told us princesses were monsters, I didn’t think they meant they were monstrously rude.” 

Glimmer whirled, and stuck her finger in Catra’s face, “Monsters? You of all people, calling others monsters, like all of you Horde are.” 

Catra growled, “Looks like princesses and the ‘Evil Horde’ do have something in common: judging by looks. Let me fix yours.” She raised her claws before her, glittering in the light. 

“Glimmer, come on, she helped save us. She didn’t have to. She could have run away.”

“Bow, how could you forgive her, forgive them? After all the people we’ve lost, after everything they’ve destroyed?” Glimmer glanced back to Catra, eyes cold. “What have you lost?” 

Catra bristled and ready to claw that smug, wounded look right off the princess’s face when Bow grabbed her shoulder. She turned on him, wanting to see someone hurt. 

“Hey, I’m sorry, for myself and her.” She didn’t believe him, not at first. “I’ve known Glimmer a long time, and she’s been through a lot. We all have. And-” He added as she was about to spit an acid reply, “- it sounds like you have too. Thank you for your help. My name’s Bow.”

Catra lowered her palms, not quite ready to claw someone’s eyes out. Yet. “Catra.”

“That’s a good name. You look like a Catra. My dads say that people are always a reflection of their names.” 

“You took that to its natural conclusion, didn’t you?” She begrudgingly offered, motioning to his folded up weapon.

He laughed, “Come on, Glimmer just needs a few moment to cool off.” 

They caught up, and Glimmer acted as if they hadn’t just been at each other’s throats. “This place is huge.” 

“Where are we, anyway?” Bow held his folded up bow, but was otherwise at ease. Catra’s fur still bristled, but whether it was because she was still privately furious, or the strange air in this place, she couldn’t tell. 

“Some First One’s ruin, I think.”

“First One’s?” Catra asked. 

“You don’t know who the First Ones are? The original settlers of Etheria? Vanished a thousand years ago?” 

Catra scoffed, “Yeah, but between my electives in demolition and infiltration, I napped during history.” She glanced at Glimmer significantly, “In case you didn’t realize, it’s not like Hordak is all that interested in keeping his people well aware of the reality outside of the Fright Zone.” 

“You seem… pretty smart, if he’s really trying to keep his people unawares.” Glimmer offered hesitantly.

“Yeah, I am smart.” Catra wasn’t afraid to own her strengths. “You can only take so many punishments for asking questions before you start to wonder if they are trying to hide something.” 

They came to a crossroads, with some big mural, though Catra couldn’t see it with much detail. Glimmer tossed another small glow orb up to where Catra pointed, and they saw the mural of some woman in warrior dress. 

“Is that the same sword we were fighting over?” Bow asked.

Glimmer looked at Catra, though didn’t quite meet her eyes, “You seriously expect us to believe that you didn’t know what the sword was?” 

“Yes. I really have no idea. A-... Adora was the one obsessed with it. I hadn’t seen it before we ran into you two.” 

“And you gave the artifact right over to her.” The implication was thick. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s not like you have to worry about Adora. She’s tough, but a softie at heart. She has trouble killing the giant spiders we get in the dorms. She keeps taking them outside even though they just get eaten by the wild dogs.”

“Wow.”

Catra looked at Bow, asking, “What?” 

He shook his head and shot Glimmer a look. “Nothing, Nothing.”

They tried one of the passages, but it was blocked by some cave in, but the second took them down a long path that ended in more of those underground branches, or “roots” as Bow called them. Between her claws and Bow’s bow, they clawed and beat their way through the sheet of them, revealing… More forest. 

“Ugh, we’ve been wandering here for days. Are you two sure you know where you are going?” 

“You don’t have to follow us, you know. We aren’t exactly a crack counter-espionage team.” Glimmer seemed more resigned than angry this time, maybe having used all that magic was wearing her out. “Why are you still here anyway?”

Catra looked at the sunlight streaming through the tree leaves, dappling light across her forearm and the grass beneath. “Do you want the nice answer or the pragmatic one?”

“Nice.” “Pragmatic.” Bow and Glimmer both said at the same time. 

Catra shrugged, “I’ve never seen the world outside the Fright Zone. I kind of like not having to worry about stepping on rusted nails or puddles of sludge.” She looked at Bow for that, but turned to Glimmer, “And frankly, if I went back now, Shadow Weaver will have my head, maybe literally this time, even if Adora brings me back. If I’m caught with you…”

“It’ll look better if you are caught in captivity with a few rebels, and you might get off easier?”

Catra adopted a stance mirroring Glimmer’s, both fists on her hip, head tilted, “I’m sorry, does looking after my own tail not qualify as a noble enough goal? I can wander on my own, cause any amount of trouble, or you can keep an eye on me. I don’t even know why I am telling you this.”

Bow interjected, “A lot of people have lost their homes in the war against the Horde. What’s one more refuge? Besides, Glimmer’s mom would probably appreciate any information you could give.”

Catra laughed, “Please, if that’s a cute way to coax me into a torture session with a princess queen, I’ll have you know I’ve survived worse than you can imagine.”

“Torture?!” Bow strangled out, “No I just meant questions! Sheesh, Catra, you gotta stop making things so serious. Come on,” he offered his hand and Catra had to stifle the instinct that it might have been a veiled attack, “Stick with us and we’ll make sure you don’t end up… tortured.” Bow shuddered the last word out. 

Glimmer walked past, “Let’s go, Thaymor is just up ahead. It will have a proper road and even possibly a ride to Bright Moon. We’ve wasted enough time.”

They walked another mile or so before there was a weak klaxon of noise, sort of like the music that the lessers - the non-recruits - in the streets of the Fright Zone make, but cleaner, less raw. 

They stopped at the edge of a settlement, this one not yet razed by the Horde. 

“Okay, we need to do something about… all this.” Glimmer said, motioning at all of Catra.

Eyes narrowed and eyebrows raised, Catra thought about doing something about Glimmer’s attitude, but she refrained. “Meaning?”

Bow added, “Well, you aren’t quite wearing a Horde uniform, but that’s their colors, for sure.” He looked around, and found a small flowering vine with red petals along it. “Here!” He began to work with the vine, weaving a pair of bracelets and a crown from it, the red matching her outfit. 

Catra was about to refuse the offering. This was stupid, a few vines wouldn’t allow her to mesh with a bunch of weak rebel civilians. “This is stupid.”

“Yeah.” Glimmer said and Catra was about to whirl on her when Glimmer offered her shimmering cloak. “Put this on too.” 

Catra, not one for something draped around her shoulders, cinched the cloak lopsided around her waist, her tail sticking out of where the front should be, giving her a half skirt look. 

“Do you really think this will work?” She asked, lashing her tail, making sure it could move freely. 

“We don’t need it to work long,” Glimmer said, “And you look a lot less horde-y. We’re just going to be in and out.”

The music got louder as they approached, and the village appeared to be decorated in a number of clashing colors and markings, like a street gang war gone wild, “What is going on here?”

The people seemed at ease, smiling and laughing and eating, more food around than Catra had ever seen. 

“Its a festival. Like a big party.” Bow answered. 

Catra glanced at him, “What, like a bloodsport celebration? I didn’t know you went for that sort of thing here. Maybe you rebels aren’t so different.”

“Bloodsp- no! It’s just a party.”

“Why though?”

“It must be just a holiday. A local tradition. Have you really never had just parties in the Fright Zone?”

Catra was a little cross at the insinuation, saying, “Well, we aren’t exactly overflowing with wealth and food, like you are, apparently.”

“Glimmer!” Bow said, calling after the agitated princess, “Catra’s never been to a party!”

“In and out, Bow!”

“Just a few minutes, please! This is serious.”

Bow showed her around at a few of the stalls, exchanging words with its defender, and getting a fish like Catra had never seen before, tasting instead of springy dough and filled with jam that tasted like dried fruit, but more… everything. 

“And that’s a blacksmith, and over there is a candied cotton vendor, we should do that next.” 

“I know what a blacksmith is, Bow.” Her eyes focused on a strange four legged creature, brown-grey docily chewing on some grass. “What’s that? It looks like the things that chased us earlier.” 

Bow looked, “Oh! That’s a horse! Want to meet it?”

“Noooo thanks. I’ve had my fun with the local fauna.” Bow laughed and tried to explain that horses were mostly nice, except when they bit or kicked, as they moved on. 

Soon she had a small bag of food, while they all three sat at a table, watching the locals perform. Catra took a nonchalant bite out of a durable looking vegetable, before slipping the remaining into her bag. 

“You enjoying it, Catra? Or not to your taste?” Catra looked over at Bow, who was eating at a large round fruit, doing an impressive job of not getting too messy. 

“What? Yeah, it’s fine.” 

“You haven’t eaten much. Tell me what you like and I will get more.”

There was a particularly impressive flip from the dancers, and Catra ‘accidentally’ knocked another roll into the bag. “I’ll be fine, really.”

Bow turned back to Catra, his concern apparent and painfully honest. “Really, Catra, I can get you more taiyaki. The fish pastry?”

“Bow, she likes the food.” Catra froze, and Glimmer continued, her voice low and full of some emotion Catra couldn’t place, “She’s… stockpiling.” 

Catra’s grip on her bag was tighter, “We don’t usually have such a bounty. I just wanted to make sure there’d be enough for later.” The explanation didn’t seem to change Glitter’s expression, and Bow’s matched it now. “What? What!”

“Nothing, Catra. Just… feel free to eat what you like. We promise there will be more later.”

Catra had heard those kinds of promises before… but she resolved to not add any more food to the bag anyway. It was getting kind of big and she wanted to be able to carry it somewhere she could start hiding the food on her person. 

There were a number of other activities, like some gymnasts walking along a rope and tossing candy to kids. She’d never seen so many happy children before. Even when Adora and herself were having fun, it was either in spite of a bully or because they’d gotten away with something. 

This place was weird and alien. 

If she weren’t here, watching Bow show off to some kids his archery, his laugh mixing with theirs or Glimmer fetching an ambitious kid out of a tree before he fell and broke something, she’s never believe it if someone told her. It was unreal. It made her uncomfortable and she couldn’t say why.

It felt safe. Catra was not sure she believed the word’s definition before now. ‘Safe-for-now’ was the best she’s ever managed. 

When she heard the explosion and screams, the disconcerting sensation ended all at once. It had been just safe-for-then, and now, it was normal again. 

“What was that?!” Bow said as Glimmer teleported next to them, out of breath. 

“I don’t know!” 

Catra didn’t say anything, sprinting into the comfortable embrace of not-safe, having dropped her bag of food against the stump of a tree.

She rounded the corner of a building almost to run into a Horde Tank, the low rumble of its engines vibrating the ground. She backed up, to hide around the corner as Bow and Glimmer showed up. 

“What-“

“Shhh!” Catra cut off his reply as she heard a voice call out. 

“Keep an eye out for snipers! Check that warehouse, I’ll check the store!” A woman with a ponytail and a sword walked past the tank and towards a tall building with several open windows and a curtain for a doorway. 

“Oh no, Adora.” Catra could barely manage to say it as she felt the ground fall out from under her heart. 

“Hey that’s the girl-“

Catra whirled on them, “You guys need to leave! You need to get these people out of here!” She hissed, “I’ve- I’ll try to stop them, but there’s a whole squadron here!”

“Catra, wait, you can’t-”

“Glimmer was right, okay? All the Horde does is destroy. I’m just going to try to slow her down!”

Catra bounded away before they could argue further, as Catra threw herself to the second story window of the building Adora had pushed aside the curtains of to enter. 

Catra made it inside the dim building to find a pair of huddled, terrified locals, both satyrs, and looking like a mother and son. Below there was crashing and stomping. Adora. 

Catra barked at them, quietly, “I’ll distract them, get downstairs and out the back door.”

She scrambled downstairs before she confirmed they understood, hoping they hadn’t gone too soft with “safe-for-now” that they couldn’t save themselves. 

She made it downstairs quickly and quietly, the wooden floor covered by some soft, noise-dampening material.

She found herself at the front door, a sliver of light leaking out from behind her,  and Adora pulling a bookshelf from the wall. “What are you even looking for, Adora?” 

Sword first, Adora turned in a flash. The interior was bright enough with the open windows, but there were shadows enough that Catra stuck to, knowing Adora was hopelessly lost in the dark. 

“What, who’s- Catra? You’re actually here?” 

“What do you mean, ‘actually here’, Adora? What are you doing here?” If you weren’t looking for me, Catra couldn’t bring herself to ask. She already suspected the truth.

“Shadow Weaver said Thaymor was capturing people to-!”

“It doesn’t take a freaking tank and killing civilians to find me, Adora! What is this?”

Adora stepped closer, into the light, her face a mixture of relief and distrust. Catra couldn’t ignore that sword, still not quite lowered. 

“I’m trying to tell you. Shadow Weaver said that Thaymor is an insurgent base, that they’ve been hiding behind complicit locals and brainwashing captives here.”

Catra huffed, taking a few side steps, to keep Adora’s eyes off the stairs, “And if Shadow Weaver told you that the sky was once filled with countless points of light, you’d believe her?” A cold, wretched feeling fell over her as she started putting the pieces together. “How long did you even look for me, Adora? Did you see the creeping dawn and realize you needed to get home before you got in trouble?”

“Catra, it’s not like that. Shadow Weaver said you might-” Adora might have sounded hurt, but her eyes oozed guilt. 

“I can’t believe you. Did she warn you that I might be brainwashed too?” Adora’s face froze, a certain tell, as her friend could never lie. Catra growled,  “And you believed her. Is that why you won’t lower that stupid sword? Were you going to stab me too, and tell me it was for my own good?” Two more side steps, and Adora was turned around completely, her back to the front door. 

“Catra, I can help you. We can go back, and-” 

“Argh! Shut up, Adora! Just shut up!” Catra sprang at her, just past the blade, her claws clasping for her jacket to make sure she couldn’t roll away. 

Adora and Catra tumbled backwards into the front door awning, ripping it with the weight of their combined momentum and Adora instinctively kicked Catra off, even as she landed back first into the town’s streets. 

Catra’s fury had clouded her expectations, but she recovered in air, flipping to land on one knee, her other leg and claws extended to slow and balance her, dirt and pebbles scattering beneath her claws. 

Adora threw herself to her feet, sword cutting away the curtains that had fallen around her. She screamed, “Catra! What has gotten into you!? Did they really brainwash you so easily? Is it the plants?” She took several steps forward, blade-point first.

“What? Plants?” Catra remembered her bracelets covered in red flowers, and shook them off. She’d lost the crown long ago. “No! Adora, stop just swallowing all the poison Shadow Weaver gives you! She’s manipulated you into attacking a bunch of civilians! These are just people!” She motioned to the village, and Adora briefly glanced around. 

Catra backed up until she found herself at that first tank, and hopped onto its side.  

“Catra, snap out of it! She explained it to me, that some of the princesses have powers that can-” 

“Did she explain why Etheria calls us the Evil Horde too?” 

“Who calls  _ us _ that?” Adora hopped up onto the tank as well, still coming forward. 

“Everyone does, Adora! Did you really never sneak into the prisons to talk to the Etherians? They see us as destroyers, Adora. Its Shadow Weaver that’s controlling you. Come on, Ad-” Catra ran out of tank, and she decided a different tactic, suddenly stepping forward to knock aside the blade and try to shake some sense into Adora. How could she be so dumb about these sorts of things?

Catra did managed to knock the sword aside, but Adora shouldered aside her hand, and fell off balance herself, from the edge of the tank, recovering enough to land on her feet. She whirled around. Catra had tried to catch Adora’s wrist before she fell off, but instead Catra’s palm found the sharp edge of the blade when Adora jerked away. 

Catra stood dumbfounded and furious about being cut and refused, but Adora just looked furious. “That sounds just like princess propaganda and brainwashing. Lord Hordak just wants what’s best for Etheria, and what’s best is a united Etheria!” 

Catra was about to retort, or just attack her, whichever impulse hit her nervous system first, but Adora yelled, “For the Honor of Greyskull!” 

A brief flash of light, and Adora grew two feet and in bulk, her hair streaming and her eyes a possessed and icy calm blue. Her hair was nearly as big as the woman herself, and wavered in the air. But Catra’s attention was fixated on those huge, angry blue eyes. She saw the woman - Adora? - pull her fist back. 

Catra barely had time to throw herself over to the other side of the tank as Adora’s transformed fist crashed into the side of the tank, knocking its turret half-off. 

Truly frightened, Catra scampered away, to hide behind the next tank she saw, trying to process what was happening. Giant-Adora leapt over the tank - something Adora could never do on her own - and swung her sword at the tank Catra almost managed to hide behind. “Catra!” 

Catra sprang away from the tank, straight into a soldier too stunned by the sudden appearance of the white, red, and golden hulking woman with unholy blue eyes. Catra needed barely any effort to wrestle his stun baton from him and threw him towards the now monstrously strong Adora. 

He bounce off her, and Catra ran, down one alley, another, into a third tank. She jumpped onto the turret, only to find that Adora had kept close, faster than normal-Adora. Catra yelped and scrambled to to leap from the tank to the roof of a nearby burning building. She fled back towards the square she’d abandoned, skittering on loose tiles and smoldering beams. Adora must have ran straight into the tank, toppling it over completely as Catra heard it’s stabilizing gyros whine. 

Catra ran straight between two stalker bots who’d come from around each side of a chimney. She stabbed at one with her stun-stick as she crashed into the stone column. Green electricity crackled on its skin but barely slowed it.  Both turned on her. Catra was toast, she couldn’t throw herself aside, or up, quick enough, even as the one she hit charged its weapon too. 

“Catra!” Glimmer appeared in a burst of light, grabbed her arm, and teleported again, both of them back in the town square with the two broken tanks. 

There were two more tanks now approaching, and there was still giant-Adora. The two stalker bots fell off the roof, apparently having blasted each other. The square was so full of smoke and fire, and broken Horde tech, it was getting hard to see. 

Glimmer was panting beside her, and Catra wondered if she could reach the end of her magic. 

“What… is going on?!”

“I don’t even- Down!” She threw herself at Glimmer, as one of the tanks charged their weapon. Green energy flashed over their heads. The blast hit the second approaching tank instead, fortune on their side. Catra fired her stun stick at some of the delicate hover mechanisms underneath the tank, and it’s gyros started to whine as well, as it began to tilt away from them. 

“You okay, Glimmer?”

Glimmer nodded, but didn’t say anything, having lost her breath in Catra’s tackle. 

“CATRA! Let me save you!” That giant thing of horror pushed itself through the burning doorway of the building that Catra had fled over, eight foot tall and furious and blue eyes flashing. Her clothing was singed, but she treated the fire as nothing more than a light breeze.

Catra froze, still atop Glimmer. She was terrified, really and truly, by Adora for the first time. 

“Leave my friends alone!” something golden exploded over Catra’s head and she flinched, only to look up and see a net cast around golden-Adora’s frame. She looked back at who shouted, to see Bow on the same horse as before, his bow held high.

Catra grabbed her stun stick and scrambled at Adora, even as the golden woman burst from the ropes, like it were nothing more than cob-webs. The stun-stick flashed green as Catra jabbed it - hard - into Adora’s ribs. 

It- she screamed in pain and let go of the sword. She seemed to shrink suddenly with the pain, and Catra realized that Adora really had shrunk, on her knees with the sword before her. 

Catra grasped for the sword, only for a pink blast from another Stalker-bot to scorch her knuckles. More blood trickled from that palm, and it hurt to clench it close again. 

Three more Stalker bots came from around the nearby rubble, and Bow shouted, “Come on! Lets go!” 

Catra helped Glimmer onto the horse as she fired a few green stun-blasts back at the stalker bots. They didn’t work well, but she knew the green stunning energy would throw off their aim. And they said Catra never learned anything from her experience in the training chambers. 

She urged Bow to take off, sparing only a moment to look back at Adora getting back to her feet among a ruin of tanks, sword grasped tightly in her grip. Her eyes still blue, but less filled with power; they were no less icy cold. Little warmth filled Adora’s voice as she commanded, like she might an unruly cadet, “Catra...”

Catra fled into the smoke after Bow and Glimmer. 

-_-_-

“And that’s what happened. I just… I don’t understand. Catra’s been with us forever, how could she turn so easily?” 

“Oh my child,” Shadow Weaver cooed, and wandered around to Adora’s side, one arm about her, “It’s nothing you did. Catra has always been weak, holding you back. I must admit, I was hard on her, but it was because I knew she’d turn on you one day, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.” 

“Catra was just brainwashed, like you said. I don’t know how else she would turn on… us.” Adora was certain that it must have been evil influence that made Catra turn on her. They were… they are so close. How could Catra do that, after all Adora had done to help her? Catra was just confused, that’s all.

“Enough about Catra. Tell me more about this sword, about the transformation you went through?” 

“Well, I just… I don’t know. When I grabbed the sword, it was like I knew exactly what to say, but I saw a bunch of other stuff too, scary things. When I said the words, I turned into… I don’t know, I was just more powerful, bigger and stronger too. I’m not sure I liked it.” 

Shadow Weaver curled around her, pacing, “All power is scary at first without training, and that I shall provide you. Let’s just keep this our little secret, Adora. Let’s only tell Lord Hordak when we can really unleash all that power for-” something changed in the room’s light - “him to see.” 

A screen flickered on in Shadow Weaver’s chambers, Lord Hordak himself. “ **What was that, Shadow Weaver?** ” 

Shadow Weaver stood suddenly at attention at Adora’s side. “We were just discussing the latest combat at Thaymor, Lord Hordak.” 

“ **Yes. I saw the report you provided. We lost four tanks, with a fifth in repairs, and three stalkers. What a disappointment. Was that your new Force Captain’s doing?** ” 

Adora flinched, but Shadow Weaver stepped in front of her, as if to shield her from a blow. “There was some unexpected resistance, Lord Hordak, a princess was even sighted in the area. Some retaliation is always expected.” 

“ **Hmm. Regardless, you are to focus your efforts on the Siege of Plumeria. Killing the Whispering Woods is our primary goal right now.”**

“Of course, Lord Hordak, your wish is my command.” 

Adora looked away, wondering if Shadow Weaver would let her look for Catra on her own. 

The screens went dark, and Shadow Weaver turned back to her, “Now Adora, let’s look into training to control all that power.” 

Adora nodded. If she were stronger, she could rescue Catra, she was certain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is all I have for now. I have another fic I should be writing, but I saw this show and knew I needed to stretch my wings here. I will probably eventually work my way all the way through Season 1 with more divergences along the way, but don't expect anything immediate.


	3. Noble Ambitions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kind comments and feedback. I really appreciate it. 
> 
> I know I said I wouldn't have more to write on this for a while but the heart writes what the heart writes. Its more setup, but then, so was Madame Razz's episode, so we should get back into some more action soon.

Catra kept pace with the trotting horse for several miles, long enough for the three to catch up with the trailing refugees of Thaymore. Somewhere, Catra has lost Glimmer’s cape-turned-skirts but her was more concerned with nursing her sliced and burned hand.

She was hungry and wished she hadn’t dropped her bag of food. It hadn’t been worth the hassle of confronting Adora. She should have just stuffed her face, like... Whatever, she’d been hungry before. 

“Hey Catra, you alright? Need to swap?”

“What? No I’m fine. Could use that handkerchief if you still have it.” She has no issue keeping up with the horse. She’d done more arduous runs many times longer as part of their daily regime, back when the trainers at the academy were into that sort of training. 

“I, ah, never got a chance to wash it off.” Bow and Glimmer were now looking at her, worriedly.

Catra held up her clenched fist, chuckling. “No need, I’m just going to get more on it.” The trickle of blood dripped down her wrist and her low hung tail the only indicator of how much her palm stung.

Both of them gasped, and Glimmer teleported off the horse to her side, “Show me! I didn’t know you were hurt!”

“Aww, I didn’t know you cared about a Horde spy, Princess,” she jibbed before she could stop herself, pulling her fist back. She wouldn’t apologize, but also reminded herself she couldn’t afford to push these people away until she could find a reliable escape from the Whispering Woods. Not that she had a plan. She just knew she couldn’t stay. Catra also knew she couldn’t go back to the Horde either. 

Glimmer pulled her grasping hands back slowly, looking down and making a fist, no doubt about to order her around. 

“Sorry, Catra.” Catra stopped walking at that, eyes narrowed and waiting for the trap. “You’ve been nothing but helpful, and… you helped us save a lot of people back there. I’ve been nothing but a jerk.”

Catra resumed walking, padding quietly to catch up before Glimmer noticed her surprise, though Bow saw the whole exchange. 

“Hey, I’m sorry too.”  Catra used her good hand to pat Glimmer on the back.

Glimmer shook her head, “You didn’t do anything. I had just found that sword, really. You didn’t even know the Horde was going to attack, and you risked your life to try to stop it.” 

Catra chuckled, “No, I mean, I’m sorry about getting blood on your shirt.” She motioned, up where she clapped Glimmer on the back. “Must have been around when I pushed you out of the tank’s fire.” 

“Ah, yeah. Thanks for that.” 

“No big deal. You’d saved me from being fried by those stalkers just before.” Catra wasn’t used to being outright thanked, and had almost recoiled. Yes, she ought to have used Glimmer’s gratitude as a tool, but Catra also hated the debts of owing, or being owed something.

“Now, let me see your hand, Catra.” 

Catra made an exasperated sound, “Don’t worry about it. Its shallow, or else it wouldn’t hurt so much.” Any deeper and tendons would have been cut, and she couldn’t have used it in her flight from giant-Adora.

“Come on, Catra.” This princess was insistent, no doubt used to getting her own way. Still, Catra relented. 

“Fine, fine.” 

Glimmer looked at it, frowning. The cut really was pretty shallow, but it still trickled blood as soon as Catra took pressure off of it. After a few evaluating sounds, she said she’d be back with something to disinfect and wrap it in, teleporting up the refuge line and talking to a few people. 

Catra let the hand go that was about to catch her, and sighed. She didn’t really want everyone to know she was injured, but it was too late now.

“I can’t believe you faced down the Horde like that. I’m glad you are mostly okay.” 

Catra’s eyes shot to Bow angrily, but not at him, not really, “Yeah well, not much good it did. Everyone still lost their homes.”

Bow tried a little small talk, but Catra wasn’t interested. The path narrowed and vanished and the Whispering Woods began to seethe closer around them. She should have just left now. Maybe if she went back now, and groveled, someone would take her back. 

Bright blue eyes, possessed of magic and anger. Adora was crowned best, Shadow Weaver whispering sweet praise in her ears. Adora didn’t need Catra. 

Which is fine, Catra never needed Adora.

“Here, I-” Glimmer appeared beside Catra again, causing her to jump aside a few inches. “Ah, sorry. I got a small dab of herbs that should help heal and disinfect, and some proper wraps.” 

Catra tepidly offered her hand, not sure she really wanted to be administered, knowing that medicine always meant more pain. Glimmer carefully wiped away the blood, and gingerly spread some cream over the cut. It hurt, but only as much as touching the cut hurt. Catra knew better than to flinch, which would usually invite more pain when she was caught by an instructor while injured.

Catra’s ears lowered as she realized that this may have been a feature of the Horde, rather than a feature of medicine. She didn’t want to think about that. 

“Teleportation and blinding powers, huh? They say that princesses all have different ‘uncontrollable’ powers, but they don’t give us many details.” 

Glimmer sighed, “Yeah, I know. It’s not very impressive. Some of the others can manipulate glaciers full of ice, or change the tides.”

Catra smirked at that a moment, before she realized Glimmer wasn’t joking. “Wait, you’re serious?”

Glimmer met her eyes, “What?”

“You have practically the most dangerous powers available, if you wanted. You’d be Hordak’s left hand killer with those powers.”

“Yeah, but-”

Catra waved her off, “No no, I mean, with training, you’d be unstoppable. You didn’t get the choke-hold right, but when you teleported behind me, back then, you could have had me out, stone cold, within seconds, but for that cliff.” Catra walked off as Glimmer finished the bandage, but looked back to grin, “I’m incredibly envious, you lucky bastard.” The grin was to hide her anger and disappointment in her own lot in life. Homeless, friendless, powerless. Just like before Adora.

Catra hated that her mind kept coming back to those thoughts. 

“Do you really mean it?”

Catra turned to Glimmer, who still seemed stunned, standing still and being left behind. “What, about your powers? Yeah, I mean it. It’s a good thing the Princesses aren’t more unified, or else the Horde would barely make headway anywhere.”

Bow got off the horse, who seemed content to just walk behind the caravan. “That’s reassuring, Catra. Thanks for that.”

“I wasn’t saying it to be reassuring,” Catra dismissed. “It’s just common sense.”

They walked for some time, before eventually someone at the head of the caravan decided it was a good time to stop, having found a clearing in the woods. No one could see the plumes of smoke coming from Thaymor, which probably helped. Catra stayed away from most of the people, knowing that without the skirt, the emblem on her belt might get her killed. Not feeling like talking, she clawed her way up a tree to rest in one of the branches. 

Bow looked like he wanted to stop her, but Glimmer said something and they both settled underneath the same tree to talk quietly. 

Catra saw someone had found a familiar stash of food and was handing out the contents to everyone. She seethed a little at that. That was her food. She’d thought to save it. Were this the Fright Zone, she’d have clawed someone bloody for taking it. Catra had a feeling she wouldn’t be welcome if she clawed an old woman’s eyes out and stole food from children. 

Catra pretended to lounge lackadaisically on the tree branch above. As Bow and Glimmer spoke, their whispers grew louder.

“....telling you, my mom won’t support me.”

“Sure she will, especially with Catra’s word.”

“Yeah, but she’s just one soldier, one defector even.”

“You need to have more faith, Glimmer, you said yourself she could keep up with that girl, Adora, with the First One’s sword.”

“Yeah, I don’t even know what my mom will think of that.”

Catra’s tail lashed as she heard Bow and Glimmer talk through the same concerns that Catra herself had. Catra needed to do something to make herself more useful than as just a traitor to the Horde. 

Glimmer was the princess, and even if she seemed to have little pull with the Queen of Brightmoon, she seemed like the best bet Catra had. Too bad Glimmer seemed to dislike her.

Still…

Catra hopped several trees over and dropped down to where the locals were doling out soup, startling a few of them. With a little convincing, she got two bowls and servings and meandered back to Glimmer and Bow. They only noticed her as she got close, looking surprised and glancing up the tree to confirm that she had indeed left the tree. 

“Hey, sorry, I could only manage to get two bowls out of the soup line. I know you must still be tired Glimmer, and Bow, here, you can have mine. I’ll get back in line and claim someone stole it.” 

They looked startled by her kind gesture, like she was some mean-spirited, conniving Horde soldier suddenly with peace offering. Bow got up, motioning, “No, no. I can get my own, Catra, thank you. Glimmer does need to eat, she’s been using so much magic she needs to recharge.”

“Bow! I’m fine.” 

“Glimmer, you teleported three of us at once, and then spent half the evacuation teleporting around other people to escape. Just relax. I didn’t even do much running, since I had Horsey.” Bow offered a bright grin, “You guys go ahead, I’ll be back soon.”

Catra innocently asked, “Are you sure?” Catra loved when people operated exactly like she expected. She’d wanted to talk to Glimmer alone. 

“No problem, Catra. You guys look after each other!”

Catra gave the bowl to Glimmer. “Sorry about stealing that sword from you,” she offered with the bowl, then rubbed her bruised nose with the free hand when Glimmer took it.

Glimmer shook her head, “Yeah… Sorry about kicking you in the nose.” 

“Ha, no, I’ve taken harder hits from my friends in training. Sort-of friends. Classmates.” Catra sipped her food, asking, “Where did you learn to throw a punch like that?”

Glimmer, who’d been about to take her own first taste, looked shocked, “What?” 

“When you hit me in the ear. You’ve got the strength to be a hell of a fighter, but your form’s a little off.” Catra hadn’t seen any form at all, but this was a moment for cajoling, not insulting.

“Oh, I don’t- no one’s trained me.” 

Catra set the bowl down on the ground beside her. She was worried her eager tail lashing would give away how much she was trying to play Glimmer. “You are kidding. With a swing like that? Someone should teach you, you’d be a fiend on the battlefield.”

Glimmer raised her bowl to take a drink, thoughtfully. 

Catra started to eat again, this time not going to save any of it for later, knowing someone may steal it from her again. 

Catra was already nearly finished when Glimmer finally took the bait. “Do you think you could teach me?” 

Catra blinked, “Glimmer, I don’t- I am not quite a trainer. I mean, I was about to be promoted to Force Captain but-” Not true, not as long as Shadow Weaver had a say.

“You’ve been training all your life right?”

“Only for little more than a decade. Maybe I was six or seven That’s when... I found the academy.” 

“So you’ve been training for ten years? My mom won’t let me take proper combat training, saying its not for a princess to be on the battlefield.”

“That’s very stupid. What are you supposed to do if you run out of magic?” Catra was a little blunter in her delivery than she intended, but Glimmer didn’t seem to notice or didn’t mind. Glimmer was so wrapped in the idea of fighting, Catra was thinking this might work perfectly. 

“Exactly! You don’t train to always have your zapper thing, right?” Glimmer motioned to the stun rod Catra had taken out of her belt to sit cross-legged.

“Stun rod, and no. Sometimes they give us bo staves, but sometimes we are just training hand-to-hand for hours.” She picked up the stun rod and began drawing idly with the tip in the dirt. 

“Then you can train me, and my mom can’t claim I don’t have the experience.” 

Catra traced out what was a rough approximation of the figure in the picture. That same figure with the winged tiara that had taken Adora. “It… won’t be easy, Glimmer. The Horde didn’t train us delicately. Now, I am the best solo hand-to-hand fighter in our class but it took a lot of work and... I don’t know how to make training… gentle.”

Glimmer’s heated voice told Catra she hit her mark. “I don’t need to be coddled, Catra. I need to learn how to fight. I am tired of waiting for my mom’s approval, I want to bring the fight to them.”

Catra cackled at that. “Oh, Glimmer, we may have started off badly, but I like the way you think.” She crossed out the image of giant-Adora. 

As Bow got back with his own food, Catra was checking Glimmer’s stance, and the image had been long erased by their feet in the dirt. 

-0-0-

They got to Brightmoon later that day, though Catra wasn’t sure if Brightmoon really was that close to the edge of Whispering Woods, or if there was something about the geography that allowed them to arrive with just a day’s walk. 

Glimmer and Bow had traded off on riding the horse. Catra didn’t blame her - she’d seen Shadow Weaver overextended a few times before - but it seemed to make magic seem like this amazing force until it suddenly gave out on you. She’d stick to depending on her own body, given the choice. 

Did this all make Shadow Weaver a princess however? Or was it just some sort of imitation, related to her glowing gem?

Brightmoon met the refugees with guards and worried people with food. Glimmer spoke to one of the lead guards for a bit, before saying to the two of them, “Come on, let’s go see my mom.” The big sigh afterwards didn’t reassure Catra. She lingered behind, half hoping she just meant Bow. 

Huge doubts suddenly loomed. This could have been one big lie, monumental and complete and fully rounded. Catra presents herself to the leader of the rebellion, a cunning ploy to capture and torture her for information.

She didn’t think that Glimmer and Bow were that deceptive, they had the earnestness of Adora or Kyle, with no hidden malice behind bright friendly eyes. Or maybe they were just like Adora, brainwashed into thinking their side was innocent, good, and heartfelt, with someone like Shadow Weaver whispering their poison. 

She could run right now. She might not make it far into the shifting woods, but she could make it hard on them. She’d had more food than she’d had in days, a leisurely walk. She’d lost a night’s sleep, but that was nothing she hadn’t done before, getting into places she shouldn’t. 

Confronting reality, and real authority, seemed so much harder with it right before her. Training Glimmer, making friends, it was a pipe dream. 

Glimmer and Bow had made it a few paces away before they realized Catra hadn’t followed. She was crouched, tail agitated and considering the nearest tree. She knew Glimmer couldn’t follow her long in her current state. Catra had a good shot if she ran.

“Catra, are you okay?” Bow was as earnest as ever. Good interrogator tactic, seem kind, before ripping away the food. Catra had seen it done. Everything up to now had been a dream, and now Catra was certain one more step would end her. Her claws burned as they dug into her palms.

Glimmer seemed to read something on her face. “Catra, don’t worry. My mom is going to yell at me, not you. We need someone like you to teach us about the Horde. She’ll understand that you defected.”

Bow grabbed onto the same thread, “Yeah, Catra. You stopped the Horde’s advance past Thaymor. Everyone here will attest to that. You are one of us now. We’ll protect you.” 

Catra had heard those promises before. She almost fled. Did she really want to die alone, lost in a hostile jungle rather than take a fleeting chance at a better life, a new community? What did it say about her that she really had to think about these choices? 

“Catra?” Glimmer asked, tender and worried as if afraid of scaring her. 

Years hoping for a better life with Adora, and now, finally separated from her, maybe Catra could have one. It felt too much like hope. 

At least, if they did capture and torture her, she’d find a way to end it early. Put all this hope out its misery. Catra would always claw herself somewhere better in life, even if it was the last thing she did. 

“Yeah, let’s meet the big boss in charge around here. See how she measures to old Hordy.” Somehow, she didn’t think her toothy grin put the other two at easy. 

Catra asked a few basic questions to ease their concerns, like how effective the nearest water filtration plant was, or where Bow lived before working for Glimmer. Just that nonsense chit-chat she’d heard Kyle chat about with other new cadets in the academy. Catra was a little surprised at the egalitarian nature of the military here, but suspected there were more tiers than Glimmer let on. 

Catra hoped it wasn’t obvious how she was subtly hunched and ready to leap at the slightest trap, but wasn’t going to apologize if someone asked. 

They approached the grand structure of the Castle Brightmoon and saw several soldiers-at-arms watching closely. They were tall and very hard to distinguish between, but Catra didn’t think they were all related. 

As they entered the grand hall, no pylons or additional support structure apparently necessary in the wide open space of the hall, Catra realized she was going to be ringed on all sides by more soldiers-at-arms, at least twelve. There were also several members from their caravan, and presumably a few locals, here on normal court business presumably. 

She almost balked but watched the hapless other two walk in, Glimmer sullen and Bow only slightly apprehensive. There was no edge of danger, no fear of being hurt. Catra wondered why she should trust them so easily. They seemed so good hearted, so like Adora. That thought unsettled her as much soothed her, but if this trap was going to fall, it would surprise these two as well, at least. 

One of the guards introduced them as they entered started the trek across the room to the Queen’s throne. “Princess Glimmer, Bow, and Catra!”

At that, several people turned to look at them. It was almost instantly that someone keyed in on Catra’s stun stick and belt buckle, whispering “Horde Soldier?” “Should we stop her?” “Did the Caravan capture her?”

Catra expression hardened as the whispering continued, until someone from the caravan said, heatedly, “She saved us. Fought off a whole battalion, some saw themselves!”

Catra’s tail twitched at that as she approached Queen Angella, Leader of the Rebellion. The Queen’s face was implacably serious, but she had eyes only for Glimmer. 

Glimmer broke the silence first, “Hey Mom. I’m back.”

“Glimmer. I don’t need to tell you what you’ve done wrong, do I?” Her voice was cold and flat, tinged with frustration, like Shadow Weaver having caught Catra with Adora and not yet having thought of something to yell at her for. Catra supposed all parental figures must be horrid. 

“Yes, Queen Angella. I disobeyed orders and left my quarters.”

“Commander Glimmer, you were gone for nearly a full day, and the first thing I hear is that you were in the middle of a direct confrontation with the Horde in Thaymor!”

“Queen Ang-”

“I’m also hearing reports that the Horde are using some device to transform into super soldiers, something completely unprecedented to now.”

“Mom, I-” 

“And not only that, but you’ve also taken in the first Horde soldier you find who surrenders straight to the heart of our realm!”

“Actually,” Bow added, helpfully, “we captured her after trying to hunt down a First One’s artifact.” 

“So we have an unbound prisoner in our midst?!”

“No, Mom! Catra saved us, maybe even a couple times, and she fought the Horde in Thaymor.”

“Great, she could be a spy. Glimmer, I expect better judgement from you.”

“Augh, mom, you aren’t letting me finish! Catra has defected! She helped destroy several tanks, and stopped the entire advance in its tracks. She fought a giant woman using the First One’s Sword.”

“A sword?”

“Yes! Catra fought her and she zapped the giant glowing woman with the winged tiara! Catra was the one to stop this new Horde Princess right in her tracks.”

“Wait, a winged tiara and a-” Catra had been watching the exchange with avid interest, under the guise of examining the murals on the wall, her thumbs tucked casually into her belt, because she couldn’t find something to casually lean against. Now, however, Angella’s face went pale and sickened, finishing, “She-Ra? It can’t be.”

Catra felt it might be time to step in and defend herself. “Queen Angella, I don’t know what a She-Ia is-”

“She-Ra is a legendary Princesses from the time of the First Ones, said to return in the hours of our greatest need and restore balance. I never thought she was anything but a myth.” She sounded like she thought everything as already lost. 

“Queen, if I may be frank?” Catra interrupted her reverie, but politely, as she got the feeling that speaking out of turn would only annoy the Queen. 

Once she had the leader of the rebellion’s attention, she continued, “I do not know anything about She-Ra. I get the First Ones mean something outside of the Fright Zone, but I’m not gonna lie, I am not impressed with a civilization that died out a thousand years ago so completely they live only in myth and remnant technology. I don’t know them; I know the soldier who is She-Ra. I know how Adora thinks, I know how her commander thinks, and I even have an inkling of how Hordak operates.”

Queen Angella raised an eyebrow, “And how does he operate?”

“His idea of how to ‘balance to Etheria’ is under his thumb, but he’s currently obsessed with ending your rebellion, the only credible opposition to his conquest. He is just a person.  Adora is just a person. Just one singular being, as are each of the Horde leaders.”

“If they have She-Ra fighting on their side, we are going to face an impossible challenge.”

Catra made a rude noise she probably should have kept to herself, but forged ahead. “No plan or prophecy survives contact with the enemy, ma’am. I goaded She-Ra Adora into destroying three of their own tanks. Even with First One’s gifts, she is no more impressive than your daughter in the heat of the fight. Less so, in some respects.”

Catra would have liked to have seen Glimmer’s expression at that, certain it would further encourage Glimmer to come for training. Queen Angella’s expression twitched, but Catra couldn’t read it. She held her breath, not sure if trashing these failed First Ones would really bring about any sort ill will. If they weren’t going to take Catra’s honesty at face value, they wouldn’t trust any dishonesty she offered either. 

Queen Angella asked, “And why do you wish to join the Rebellion at all? How are we supposed to believe a former officer decided to have a change of heart?”

“Officer _ -in-training _ . They were never going to promote me. I was considered… undermotivated for their cause.” Catra spat out the words, but did decide not to use the word ‘undisciplined’ at the last moment. 

“And I’ve seen the good in your realm. In one day, I’ve seen more kindness than I’ve seen in years in the Fright Zone.” This, while probably true, was the sort of flattery that she’d found worked with everyone, even Shadow Weaver, “I’ve been starving on the streets, and tortured with magic for hours with death swimming in my thoughts, and left behind to heal, bleeding and alone.” 

Something about that phrase changed Angella’s expression, but her face was so serious, so stolid, Catra still hadn’t the edge to read it yet. Catra was so focused on selling, she couldn’t catch anyone else’s response. 

“I’ll face worse if I go back too. I want to be a part of this. I want to stop the Horde and all their little lies and evils. I want-” She paused, not sure ‘revenge’ would fit her good-hearted speech. “-to stop them from putting another through what I lived.” That was sort of what revenge would do, right? End their nasty means and stop people from suffering so actively?

Queen Angella seemed to study her for a little bit, before turning her face to Glimmer and Bow, as if to test Catra’s words. 

Bow was reaching out to put an arm on her shoulder. She crossed her arms, not sure she’d be able to keep up her facade if she got that sympathy. She must have projected something, because he lowered his hand. 

Now that she was out of wind, she wanted to run, her eyes tracing a few escapes. She wanted to be alone like she could always be in the Fright Zone, whenever she wanted. 

If she did that here, now, there would be nothing but armed guards hunting her. Home, only Adora ever came looking for her. Catra’s thoughts filled with glowing blue eyes, full of rage and hurt. 

She didn’t want to think about Adora. She just wanted to be alone. 

After a moment, she realised she had stopped watching Angella’s face, and had begun tapping her foot and claws on the stone floors.

She needed to be alert, and looked up to see that the queen princess watched her. Catra lowered her arms, standing at attention. She pulled her eyes back up. 

“Catra of-... Catra, welcome to the Rebellion. I expect you to report at regular council meetings and act under the supervision of Glimmer. Your information and support will no doubt be of great value against our enemy.”

Catra couldn’t bring herself to kneel, though it felt right. It felt too much like submission, and she wanted to leave that behind in the Fright Zone with Shadow Weaver. She did bow at the waist however. “Thank you Queen Angella, Leader of the Rebellion. I am honored to have this opportunity.”

Bow cheered, as did a few of the Thaymor refugees, while Glimmer muttered thanks to her mom for trusting her. Catra tried to remain calm, but her tail thrashed a bit at the release of the tension she’d collected in telling her earnest lies and accidental truths.

-0-0-

“I want to go after Catra.”

Shadow Weaver gave a long aggrieved sigh, having heard the request before. “Adora… I’ve told you, she’s a lost cause. A traitor through and through.”

“Yes, but…” Adora paused, not sure this new tack was going to work, suggesting, “She could be telling them anything. And you told me that She-Ra has the ability to heal and repair. Maybe I can fix whatever brainwashing they put over her.”

“It can’t heal people who have traitorous thoughts, it just repairs First One’s technology. And Adora, I told you not to say that name aloud..” Shadow Weaver barely turned away from her font of visions, but the glance was enough for Adora to know she was annoyed. “You need to go to Force Captain orientation. We will soon have you out there completing missions.”

Adora started, saying, “But, I-”

“Adora.” Sharper now, and Adora knew she was angry. Shadow Weaver rarely used that tone with her. Strange. “I will hunt down Catra to give her what’s due at the right time. I am busy. While our forces focus on Plumeria, I am trying to find our next big target, to whittle away at the Rebellion.”

Adora nodded, her grip on the sword tightening. What Catra’s due was better than Shadow Weaver’s petty discipline and grudge. Adora needed to find Catra first. 

-0-0-

The luxury at hand for these princesses made Catra almost sympathize with the Horde’s endeavors. So much space, light, food, and water. So much everything. Don’t the people in the Horde deserve some of it? She hated them a little for their wealth.

But then, she remembers how many resources must go into the foundries, and tanks and water-detoxification plants. Maybe if there was less war, there’d be a way to get clean water, some means to house and feed people. The desolation around the Horde’s homeland, was it natural? Or a by-product?

Catra found herself wandering the halls at night. She didn’t even try to get into the bed yet, she hadn’t found all her exits yet. She needed to know how to leave before she could think to settle in. It already wouldn’t be the same with Adora stealing her bunk anyway.

She came upon, of all people, Queen Angella, who was staring at a mural. Catra didn’t know quite what to do, but felt that trying to creep out of sight might not fit with her new-excited-rebel speech. She made sure her next few steps made noise, allowing her claws to tap lightly on the stone floor. 

Angella looked at her solemnly, an orb of light glowed above a raised palm. 

Catra stood at casual attention and gave a salute. Not as crisp as her instructors required, but she was tired and didn’t feel like putting the full effort. “Ma’am…. Your highness? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You did not... When the world feels hostile, I come here to reflect.” She motioned to the mural, with depictions of Horde soldiers assaulting a figure before Brightmoon. 

Catra hazarded a guess. “The previous ruler?” It didn’t sound right. Hadn’t Glimmer muttered something about the queen being immortal?

“My husband. He helped me build the Rebellion, and he was among the first casualties.”

Catra made a small noise, “That must have been a dozen years ago.” She realized that she wasn’t supposed to be proving her innocence of that death, adding a belated, “Sorry.”

Queen Adora turned as if to walk past Catra but turned again, putting Catra’s back against the wall. It put her on edge again, that light burning in her sensitive eyes and causing her to squint. 

“I have accepted you into this house at the request of my daughter, in spite of your past,” she started. Catra braced herself, claws in her thigh to help distract herself from the pain if need be. “She has a lot of faith in you. Do not disappoint her.” 

The light winked out, and the Queen and leader of the Rebellion walked away. Catra blinked realizing that little threat was it, and couldn’t restrain herself from having the last word. 

“Don’t worry. I have a lot of faith in Glimmer too.” With Catra’s tutelage, Glimmer will make one hell of a fighter. Catra didn’t reasonably expect to rise in the ranks here, but maybe she could help someone moldable to her own standards. 


	4. Growth and Death

Catra did finally settled down in her room later, pulling several pillows onto the ground to sleep on, rather than getting lost in the all-consuming mattress. She curled up into a ball in the small pool of cushions.

She realized her mistake after she woke the first time in a terror, head popping off a pillow with a small noise. Her heart pounding and the ringing in her ears were all that remained of the dream.

That and the recurring theme for years: looking up at Shadow Weaver, pain everywhere, and red eyes glowing in the gloom behind Shadow Weaver. This time, though, a pair of piercing blue eyes filled with hate also shared the gloom.

Catra let her body tremble once, and tried to get back to sleep.

The next dream brought Adora as She-Ra. Murmurings of curing and punishing Catra were a wordless promise.  That sword in her hands flayed Catra alive as she lay helpless chained to a wall in the Horde prison.

This dream was too much to return to as Catra retreated from the pillows like acid, standing and shivering and holding herself. She quickly began pacing the room, back and forth. A glance back at the pillows and something caught her eye. She approached. Catra picked up the pillow she’d been resting on; it was damp.

She remembered how she pled for Adora to stop in that dream, her words as jumbled as those dream vows.

In a flash of fury, she clawed the cushion, as if it would destroy her memory, her shameful tears. She froze, momentarily, worried about getting into trouble, before her fury subsumed her again, and she slashed again, bringing the pillow to tatters. She felt better, but looked for a way to hide her actions.

By the time the edges of dawn threatened the horizon, she’d single-mindedly torn the pillow and its innards into such small shreds that they flowed out of her waterfall pool and into the retaining pool below, where the other waterfalls emptied.

She would sleep better when she got her revenge on the Horde for everything it represents, on Shadow Weaver for everything she’d done personally to Catra, and on Adora for doing nothing for Catra. In one day, she’d made more progress on her own than she’d ever in Adora’s shadow.

It was time to capitalize on it.

-0-0-

The first cushion catapulted into Glimmer’s bed elicited a groan, and nothing else.

The second that Catra hurled must have hit its target, because she heard a muffled squeak, and Glimmer mumbling “Bow, no, it’s too early,” as she shifted in her bed.

“Glimmer, its Catra. We should do some training.”

“It’s before breakfast,” was the answering groan.

“What’s breakfast?” Catra asked, knowing that if Glimmer was answering questions, Glimmer would probably wake up sooner. She prepared the third pillow anyway.

“What’s break- ugh, stop throwing those!”

Catra chuckled, “I can climb up there myself if you prefer.”

“Nuh-uh. I put away the stairs and only magic will put them back into place. You’ll just run out of pillows.” She either really was comfortable with Catra as a friend - doubtful - or she was more determined to sleep than to take Catra seriously.

“Oh.” Catra said and dropped the last pillow available, as she looked around the room, deciding the shelves would be the best place to start. “Is that so?”

“Catra-aa. That was not a challenge.” Glimmer sounded more awake, but no more willing to leave the bed.

“Yes, it was, Glimmer, and I don’t lose.” She was already across the room and halfway up the bookshelf, moving quickly in case the shelves wouldn’t take her full weight long. Moments more and she was at the top of the shelf.

Glimmer sat up to look for where she was just in time to see Catra hurl herself across the twelve foot gap, a few trinkets on the shelves rattling or falling over. Glimmer gave a small “Eeep!”

Catra had misjudged the gap, thinking it was a little larger, and landed atop Glimmer, rather than next to her. They both froze as the bed swayed back and forth with Catra’s weight and speed.

As the bed settled, Catra smirked down at Glimmer underneath her. “Challenge complete.”

Glimmer looked up at her, face flush with annoyance, and said, “Yeah yeah, now get off!”

Catra chuckled, knowing she’d won both in waking Glimmer up and in exceeding Glimmer’s expectations.

Gimmer sat up and rearranged her mop of hair and rub her eyes. “Ugh, its barely sun-up. What are we going to do this early?”

“Stretches, and a few exercises. Do you know how many times you can teleport before you need to recharge?”

“Mmm, not really. Depends on how much time I take between jumps, and how much I am taking with me, and if it's somewhere I can see.” She stretched with a yawn, before vanishing in a glitter of light.

Catra looked down to find her at a small counter top with a jug of water and a few glasses. “Hey, you are going to leave me up here?”

“You got up there alone. Besides, shouldn’t I save my power for training?”

“Naw, no teleporting at first. We just gotta get a routine together.” Catra didn’t actually need Glimmer’s help to get down, she was just giving the princess a hard time. She landed quietly next to Glimmer, “Come on. Stretches will be a good start.”

Glimmer wasn’t practiced in physical exercise beyond some basics, but she was built a lot like Lonnie, but wider. Glimmer was puffing and tired a couple hours later, but not dissatisfied by their progress. She did shove Catra out of her room so that she could take a bath. Modesty when cleaning oneself was expected here, apparently.

Breakfast was a morning meal, served in a small side room near the kitchens, where people came and went in the castle. Catra was shocked that they’d leave all this food about, shocked that no one stole all the best food. Catra adapted before stealing half the scrambled eggs, a food that looked familiarly uniform.

Bow arrived mid-meal, chipper as always. “Hey, guys! Ready for the weekly meeting?”

Glimmer agreed through the pastry she’d just taken a bite of, and Catra asked, “Meeting?”

“Yeah, we have the weekly meeting with the Rebellion leadership today.” Glimmer had finished her bite, “We usually talk about the basic status of the war, and what we can do to help each other.”

Catra ate more than she had in a day in the Fright Zone, and almost felt sluggish by the time the meeting came around later that day. She resolved not to eat nearly as much for lunch, since apparently three meals a day was the tradition.

The room they used was proportionally as huge as the bedrooms, with a big table meant to seat more than a dozen people. Catra followed Bow and Glimmer’s lead, Bow introducing Spinnerella and Netossa, “- I still don’t know what they do.”

“Yo!” Catra offered, “I’m Catra, I defected from the Horde. They’re assholes.”

They chuckled and waved.

“Why are all the seats empty?” She motioned to the tall chair next to her, and all the others as well. She suspected that she wasn’t supposed to sit at the head of the table - yet - so she moved to sit on the far side of Bow and Glimmer.

Glimmer sighed, “There was a big battle in the past that the Rebellion lost. Eventually, the other princesses stopped coming, the new ones as well as the older ones. But… well. Maybe things can change.”

Angella approached, standing at the table. Catra vaguely wondered if her sitting with her legs over one armrest and her back resting on the other armrest was going to be considered disrespectful.

“Thank you all for coming this week. We’ve recently gotten a distress call from Plumeria, the realm of Princess Perfuma. They are being attacked by the horde. General?”

Catra sat up, turning to face forward so she could memorize the command structure in place. The general pulled up a hologram of the world, and explained where Plumeria was exactly and how the Horde was cutting off supplies. Catra wondered if she could play with that later, but suspected she ought to earn more trust before trying to gather intel.

Glimmer raised her hand, calmly. “Queen Angella, I’d like to make a recommendation.”

“You’d like to engage the Horde directly?” Her mother guessed. Apparently, this was a common request.

Glimmer shook her head, “My intent would be to go with the supplies and request that Perfuma join the Rebellion.”

Her mother looked stunned, “What?”

More of Glimmer’s earnestness began spilling into her words, “We’ve been fighting an uphill battle for years now. One of the first things Catra said to me was that if Etheria’s princesses were united, we could stomp out Hordak’s forces instantly.” She sped up as she thought she was going to get cut off, “I know the last time the Rebellion was together we lost important people to us, but we can’t let the Horde kill us with a thousand cuts either!”

The Queen looked at her daughter for some time, glancing at her General as if for an opinion. The serious, white-and-black haired woman shrugged.

The queen gave Catra a look, as if to remind her of the threat last night. Catra focused on remaining nonplussed.

“Fine. We will gather the supplies and you will head out at dawn. On to other matters…”

The meeting didn’t go on for long after, reviewing the status of the Horde’s advances. Bow, Glimmer, and Catra all left together, with Bow giving Glimmer a friendly jab of his elbow, “Way to go Glimmer! You got right out of being grounded for fighting the horde and now we get to go on a trip!”

“Oh, she never promised that we wouldn’t be fighting the Horde, if I recall,” Catra noted, baring her teeth in a grin.

Glimmer shrugged, “Hey, if in the middle of negotiations, some fist to face sparkles need to stop an interruption…”

Bow laughed, and Catra went with them to watch them eat. She was still stuffed from breakfast.

After that, it was time for real hand-to-hand practice.

Glimmer’s movements were all exaggerated, and she tended to use all of her strength and weight with every blow. Catra started showing her a few other strikes she could use, and where it would hurt most to be hit, even when there was Horde body armor in place. Because Glimmer threw everything into each attack, she got winded pretty quickly, and Catra needed her to realize her strengths weren’t all power.

That aside, Glimmer’s willingness to throw herself at problems did manage to straight pin Catra once. They froze, panting, their faces inches apart, with Glimmer’s face red from exertion. Catra raised her eyebrows, saying, “Good job.”

Glimmer seemed surprised, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Now, from here, you’d want to move your left forearm up, to choke me into submission with your weight, but if you do that, I would be doing everything to claw your pretty face bloody with my free hand.” Glimmer’s expression changed, but Catra figured she probably wasn’t used to thinking about blood all that often, “But most people don’t have claws like myself, and will try to just bash or pry you off. You want to put your head down as low as possible, maybe even stun me with a headbutt before you start to choke.”

Glimmer took a moment to evaluate how they were positioned, deciding to move her right arm up to Catra’s throat, careful not to actually choke her, and lowered her head to Catra’s left, so that her face was just below her ear, past her headpiece. Glimmer’s hair caused Catra’s left ear to twitch. “Like so?”

Catra smelled the same soap she’d found in her own bath and sweat. It was strange how pleasant and mild everything smelled outside the horde’s greasy pollution. “Exactly, now, I can only claw or yank at the back of your head. I’d probably claw and writhe my way free, but obviously, we are on the same side here.” Her voice came a bit strangled, as there still was a forearm pressed to her throat.

Glimmer got off of her as quickly as she could, “Oh, sorry!”

Catra rolled away, “No, that was good training. You really favor grappling, which is probably to your strength.” She got up and offered a hand. Glimmer’s darker complexion was still red but she was getting her breath back. “You’ve got the strength for it, just be careful on bigger opponents. You won’t have the mass or strength unless you catch them off-guard or from behind. In a real fight, I only use grappling to strike and leap away.”

Catra saw that Bow was looking like he’d interrupted something when she caught his eye, red and wide-eyed. Catra grinned at him. “Your turn; I want to see how well you fight with that,” she said as she recovered her stun rod, set aside when fighting Glimmer.

She was gratified to find that Bow was fairly proficient with using his name-sake as melee weapon as well, and they practiced a bit while Glimmer cooled off. Catra had the stun rod turned off as they traded blows. Bow was more hesitant to hit Catra directly until she knocked him off his feet a few times, and realized that she wasn’t afraid to give and take a few bruises.

Catra herself was getting tired at that point, and watched as Glimmer practiced a few stances and patterns Catra taught her and as Bow fired at targets downrange.

They had a good dinner, Bow and Glimmer talking animatedly. Catra didn’t know quite when and where to insert herself. She wasn’t used to talking to more than one person at a time, but she was able to insert a few sly remarks here and there.

“How’d you sleep last night, Catra?” Bow asked.

“Not enough,” Glimmer lamented, “She woke me up at dawn!”

“What? Catra, you got Glimmer to wake up early?”

Catra shrugged, dodging the question he first asked, “I don’t sleep much. We needed to start morning exercises. Discipline is all they ever talked about at the Academy.”

“Yeah,” Bow said, joking, “And you seem like the person who’s a stickler for the rules.”

“I’m offended, Bow. I have nothing but respect for every Coda of the Fright Zone, written and unwritten.”

“Oh is that so?” he asked, “And which one lets you join the enemy?”

“Well, unwritten rule number one of the Fright Zone: Always look out for yourself.”

They laughed, but Glimmer remembered to ask, “Did you sleep alright? You look a little tired.”

Catra gave a noncommittal gesture, “Eh. It’s different. I don’t like the bed. Just slept on a pile of cushions. And I am used to sleeping in a dormitory, with people breathing and turning in their sleep.” She wouldn’t share her night-terrors. She could conquer those alone.

Glimmer stirred the food on her plate, “You can sleep in my room if you want.”

“Hey, yeah, slumber party!” Bow said, “We sleep together tonight. We need to leave early anyway.”

“Will your dads mind?” Glimmer asked with a frown.

“Naw, they are used to me spending the night here. They didn’t even know I was at Thaymor until I told them. I can send them a message with a courier, so they know I am going to Plumeria.”

They made arrangements and both Bow and Catra set up a cot in Glimmer’s room. It's not like Catra had many possessions to move anyway.

Catra slept better that night, just being able to wake from a terror and know Bow and Glimmer were sleeping nearby.

Having gotten much better sleep, she made sure to wake up Glimmer before dawn so they could do a short round of exercises before readying for their journey.

The cart of goods was pulled by the same horse they’d borrowed from Thaymor. Catra didn’t ask if the owner never reclaimed it because they were dead, or if there was some other reason.

Plumeria was only little more than a half-day’s travel from Brightmoon itself, the roads not nearly as twisty and roundabout as the Whispering Woods extended and thinned around the other side of Plumeria. The ride was easy but the trail a little rough, as Plumeria usually traded with their other neighbors, if the Horde hadn’t placed themselves in the middle.

The trees all started to become visibly more sickly as they made their way to the heart of Plumeria, their first sign that something had gone amiss. It took them some time to get past all the overgrown roots, but they managed to make it to the small village that formed the center of Plumeria.

Princess Perfuma came out to greet them personally, with a bright and earnest smile. It looked a little forced to Catra, but she figured being under siege wasn’t all that fun.

“Welcome to Plumeria! Thank you for your support from everyone in our village!” There were a number of people approaching, some of whom looked ready to help them unload the cart.

Glimmer introduced herself with an offered hand, “We’re happy to help! I am Commander Glimmer, one of the princesses of the rebellion.” She motioned to Bow and Catra, “This is Bow and Catra.”

Princess Perfuma shook Glimmer’s hand, eagerly, leaving a bloom of flowers like a bracelet on her wrist in her wake, before bestowing a crown upon Bow’s head, to his delight, and offering Catra a necklace of sharply sweet-smelling blue flowers. She held up her hand, peaceably, but said, “Ah, no thanks. My nose is sensitive.”

“Oh my apologies, how about this instead?” The flowers transformed into milder red flowers, dark enough to match her tunic. Catra grinned through gritted teeth.

“Ah, thanks. We’re all with the rebellion actually… Did you know you appear to have a forest fire going on?”

Beyond the dead trees that ringed the small village, and past the healthy pastel tree at the center of the village, there was a small barrier of vines, above which a massive plume of smoke rose above the land.

“Oh, no.” Perfuma said sadly, “No, that is not a fire, but a Horde machine. It appeared shortly before the land started dying.” She sighed, “I only wish the universe would in turn bring karmic justice upon them for their misdeeds. But for now…” She shook her head, “Well, these supplies will help give us time to gather our things and find somewhere safe to rebuild.”

Glimmer blurted, “Wait, what? Rebuild?” Catra wanted to ask what the universe was supposed to do, but that was a better question.

“Oh yes, we don’t stand much of a chance against the Horde. We are a peaceful folk and are not legendary heroes. We are going to relocate. We heard what happened to Thaymor. Do you think Brightmoon would take us as refugees?”

“But I was going to recruit you to join the Rebellion, you can’t give up here.”

Perfuma paused to looked at Glimmer, “Didn’t the Rebellion go terribly the first time?”

Catra was inclined to agree with Glimmer’s indignation and asked, “So what, are you just going to keep giving up every time the Horde comes knocking? They’ll never lose if you always crumple. The universe doesn’t offer perfect justice.”

Perfuma began to guide them through the village, as several of the villagers began unloading supplies and took care of the horse. “We are a peaceful folk,” she insisted again, “and don’t want to cause any trouble or strife. We tried to find out what they were doing to us, but they fired on us with their weapons as soon as we got too close. The universe will right things eventually.”

Catra scoffed, “ Are you sure? What exactly did your people do that caused them to deserve to lose everything, exactly? Does the Universe think you deserve to suffer for something?”

Perfuma gave Catra a sharp look, as Catra waited for an answer

Bow asked, trying to offer some positivity through the tension, “So what _did_ you happen to find out about the Horde’s base?”

“Other than seeing a giant machine that they were setting up, we didn’t see much. They have since hidden the machine in one of their buildings. We were just glad they didn’t bring in tanks to flatten us like Thaymor.”

Perfuma sighed, as they approached the large tree at the center of their village. “This is the Heart Blossom, the center of our realm and the source of my magic. So far it has held out, but I don’t feel confident that it will last forever.”

Catra was also surprised they hadn’t gotten flattened by tanks. Maybe they were worried about confronting a princess directly? Were they conserving forces? Whoever was running this operation must have been sleeping on the job.

Glimmer offered, “We could go check it out, if you like? Maybe we can figure out how to stop them?”

Perfuma looked worried but a little hopeful. “Would you? I don’t know if anything can be done, not without a hero like She-Ra to save us… but my people are losing hope.”

Catra scoffed as Bow and Glimmer looked stricken by the thought.

“Haven’t you ever heard that you should _never_ meet your heroes?” Catra spat, her temper cracking at the mention that traitorous rival. The look on their faces told Catra it must have been a Horde saying. “Look, any real work gets done by the people, not by singular icons. Just look around at this village.” She motioned, “These homes and goods were crafted by the people, not willed into place by leaders who give orders, look impressive with magic and rest on their laurels.”

Catra blinked, realizing that she was talking to two princesses, one with a literal laurel. “Ah, I mean-” Glimmer looked a little affronted by the accusation, but Perfuma puzzled, as if the idea hadn’t even crossed her mind.

“What Catra means is-” Bow said, inserting himself, “-is that it is up to _all of us_ to save Etheria, right? Let us do our part-” he motioned to the trio “-by checking out what the Horde is doing and report back.”

They extricated themselves from the village, and Catra coughed out a small, “Thanks, Bow.”

“Ha! No worry. You really don’t like legends and myths, do you?”

“When you are little and in the Fright Zone, you tell yourself stories about how things get better, and find out that no one is going to help you but yourself. If you are lucky, you can find a friend to watch your back.” Catra’s eyes were on the plume of smoke, but was distracted as Glimmer stepped closer.

Glimmer’s face was a mixture of emotions, and Catra was pretty sure she might still be a little hurt by Catra’s description of ‘leaders’. Glimmer still put her hand on Catra’s shoulder, saying, “And then your friend turned into one of those heroes from a story, and then left y- left for the Horde.”

Catra’s tail lashed, not sure she wanted sympathy from this pampered, good-hearted duo. She didn’t like them being able to read her. “Anyway. A Horde supply drop should be coming in soon, we might be able to figure out what they are doing without actually entering their base.”

Bow asked, “How do you know?”, his hand finding her other shoulder to pat it gently as well. They both pulled back, sensing Catra’s discomfort.

She gave a small grin, being back in her element and able to brag, “Oh once you learn the Horde’s schedule, it’s a snap. They are suckers for regulation. So payload drop offs happen at two hours after sunrise, and two hours before, and they often are comprised of three skiffs, one with a pallet in tow. Arranged in a triangle formation, they…”

-0-0-

They set up the trap just before a bend in the road, a trampled path beaten through the narrower stretches of the Wandering Woods. As the three skiffs approached, Catra leapt from the brush into the middle of the road, wide-eyed and covered in twigs and leaves.

Catra turned to the on-coming skiffs, clawing the air and hissing wildly at them, eyes wide and feral.

The skiffs stopped, the two guard skiffs coming to the fore. One of the guards shouted, “Halt!” as an arrow passed within inches of Catra’s nose, close enough that the fletching tickled her nose.

Her head snapped back to look at Bow, still hidden by the foliage. He had the decency to look apologetic. Before she lost track of what she was doing, she bolted for the other side of the woods, after Bow’s arrow.

Bow came crashing out of the foliage next, following her, and turning to acknowledge the Horde, saying loudly, with both fists on his hips, “Oh ho! Don’t mind me.” His voice hitched as he registered the stun rods aimed at him, “-I’m just hunting the most dangerous game: Feline women!”

They shouted for him to halt as well, but he ran on before they could fire their stun rods.

Catra gave him the most disgusted look she could manage as he caught up to her hiding place.

“What?!” He whispered heatedly, “I panicked! I’m not a good actor! I couldn’t think of anything more confusing! Are you sure they won’t follow?” The guards conferred with one another on the skiffs, barely seen through the gaps in drooping fronds.

Catra couldn’t quite control her still raised eyebrows, as she said, “They won’t. They might get dinged for being late, so any second now, they should- Ah.”

The skiffs started up again, and all three rounded the bend out of sight. Glimmer teleported next to them both, “I can’t believe that worked. Also, what was it you shouted, Bow?”

“Nevermind that, let’s get the pallet!”

While Catra and Bow put on their show, Glimmer had teleported to the back of the last skiff, where the pallet was anchored, with Catra’s stun rod. On the lowest setting, it was enough to disengage the mag-lock that connected the floating pallet to the skiff.

The three of them dragged the pallet full of goods into the forest before the Horde grunts even realized what they left behind.

The trio returned to the village, Catra having already sequestered a few spare stun rod charges from the supplies.

The only thing out of the ordinary, beyond spare parts, rations and other sundries, were three bright yellow barrels, carefully sealed and marked with the symbols used in the Fright Zone to indicate “More toxic than untreated water”. Catra explained why she didn’t want to pry them open while they were still moving.

Back at the Plumeria village, people were hustling to collect their stuff and be ready by morning to leave. Perfuma still seemed a bit at a loss, until she saw the trio with the pallet.

“Hey, Princess Perfuma, we found out what your land is being poisoned with. It usually ends up at depleted strip mines in the Fright Zone.” Catra lead the floating pallet to a stop before Perfuma. After a quick hop onto the pallet, Catra pried at the top of one barrel with a spare stun rod, the one-size fits all tool of the Horde.

The top came off, and inside was a slop of yellow-green liquid, giving off a little heat and weakly glowing with an inner light.

“It’s a the byproduct of ration factories. Mostly, the toxic stuff they try to keep out of the food.” The three of them - Perfuma, Bow, and Glimmer - crowded close to look at it themselves. Catra dipped the stun rod in the stuff and pulled it out, showing off the viscous liquid that clung to the end of the rod.

Perfuma frowned, shaking her head, “But why would they do such a thing? What have we done to them?” She waved her fingers at the stuff, but the plants she summoned seemed to wither almost instantly upon contact.

“The Horde doesn’t care who it hurts, Princess.” Glimmer said, somberly, “Which is why we need to unite against them.”

Bow added, “Maybe if we can stop them from poisoning any further, your forests can recover.”

Perfuma sighed, looking at the tree at the center of the village, which was now starting to look a little sickly at the tips of its branches. “I am afraid it’s too late for that.” Catra got that it was significant that Perfuma’s tree was dying, but she wasn’t going to shower sympathy on someone unwilling to save themselves.

“Yeah, too bad you can only do pretty plants. There _are_ a few mushrooms that are good to eat that you can grow from this stuff.” Her dismissive tone clashed with the mourning, and the three of them looked at her.

“It's what a lot of people on the streets of the Fright Zone do to supplement their meals, though if you have a good farm going, you have to fight to defend it... Because you can’t curl up and die when you face adversity.”

“Catra, these people are peaceful.” Glimmer started, trying to be sympathetic to the princess who was going to let their people flee eternally.

“Peace is a luxury, Glimmer. Not a lifestyle choice.” While they argued, Perfuma approached them, but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, but just because you’ve never known anything but strife doesn’t mean others can learn it so easily. You are mocking them for being helpless, not encouraging them to fight.”

“I don’t do speeches, Glimmer, and I won’t apologize for- Hey you don’t want to-” Perfuma put her hand on the stun rod, coating her palm in the sharp, acidic smelling goop. She looked at it for a moment, and suddenly something bloomed on the surface of her hand, spreading to cover all the sludge.

A lichen or moss - glowing a soft blue and green covered her hand now - almost illuminating Perfuma’s face, as the sun started to dip past the horizon behind her.  

She looked at them, seeing their startled faces, as she said, “The Heart Blossom represents all the life of the forest, including the life of death. Once, our tribe became split over our dedication to plants or fungi, and great strife nearly destroyed us. Peace and unity was praised, and my mother taught me it was safest to promote a single, unified way of life for our people. “

She spoke with a somberness that even left Catra without words. She motioned with her hand, the lichen still pulsing with light in an unknown rhythm, “It’s kind of pretty still, don’t you think?”  Perfuma reached out to the open vat, but nothing happened. She frowned and stepped up to touch the muck directly. From her finger stretched the lichen, some of it blooming into stalks radiant orange and deep violet mushrooms across the surface almost instantly.

“Sorry, I’m a little rusty. I was always encouraged to stick to safe, simple plants.”

Bow smiled brightly, “That’s incredible, Perfuma. These are beautiful!” He plucked an orange mushroom, which continued to glow in his hand, until he stuck it over one ear.

The soft spoken princess looked gratified as she walked away from them towards one of the smaller - but still very much dying - trees in their village proper. She pressed her hand to the trunk and appeared deep in thought.

Very, very slowly, the deadened, dry trunk began to morph outward from her palm, from black to  radiant green/yellow moss in the shape of her palm. She pulled her hand back, shaking her head, “It’s too deeply ingrained. I can’t get at the entire forest from here. Maybe at the source I could…” Perfuma frowned, as if another thought hit her, “Even if I did manage to bloom the whole forest, it would eventually be consumed by the moss and die. We’d have to rebuild from nothing.”

Catra bit her tongue, not willing to start another argument with Glimmer. Instead, though, Glimmer took the same track Catra would, albeit far more gently. “But you could rebuild, right? We could get you to the source of what the Horde is doing, and you can stop their plans. I am willing to commit to Brightmoon helping as well.”

“It would take years… but we could. As the fungi dies, it will return to the soil and brings new life, just as the universe spins in cycles of seasons; growth and death.”

The three of them waited for Perfuma to come to some sort of decision. Finally, she asked, “Are you three still willing to help fight the Horde?”

Glimmer confirmed with a glance to both of them, saying, “Commander Glimmer, at your service, ma’am.”

-0-0-

Perfuma gathered her people, “Everyone! I want to inform you that I am not going to be leaving with you tonight.”

There were a few gasps and muttered questions, but Perfuma continued, “I am going to the Horde base with our allies from Brightmoon. They told us we can’t wait for a hero to save us, and I think they are right. I cannot ask you to risk yourselves, to change our ways, when I have no way of knowing if we will succeed. We may stop them for a day, we may stop them for years.”

She took a deep breath, saying, “Even if we are successful, I can’t promise the forest around the Heart Blossom will be the same, or that we will be able to recover from the poison they are filling our soil with. So keep packing, and be prepared to leave with the light. We are going to strike at night, and I suspect that you will know quickly, one way or another, if we succeed. I love you all, and always remember to love each other.”

She spoke with a few people through the village, but Catra rolled her eyes. “She acts like we are going on a suicide mission.”

“Well, it’s going to be dangerous.” Bow offered, “Maybe we can use spare uniforms from the pallet for a disguise, when everyone is moving around.”

Catra shook her head, “No, shifts change every thirty minutes as people rotate duties. During that time, there are the most people around. It’s the most likely time we will be caught if we act out of place. Also, you won’t be able to take your weapon. ”

“So, what are we going to do?” Glimmer asked, deferring to her expertise.

Catra grinned, “ _We_ -” she motioned to herself and Bow, “-are going to cause havoc, while you get Perfuma to where they are dispensing the poisons to stop it.”

-0-0-

“You ready?”

“Nope. But you aren’t going to stop anyway, are you?”

“Oh hell no. I’ve always wanted to do something like this. You sure you can hit it?”

“As long as you hold us steady.”

Catra grinned, she shouted over their previous whispering, “Alright! Lets go!”

Getting over the wall and into the base was simple. For twenty-five minutes, everyone is standing still and bored, which means, any gaps in surveillance were open. Catra and Bow climbed the walls and ended up near the hanger pad, where there were three skiffs waiting, likely the same ones from earlier, waiting to leave for a supply run in the morning.

There were a pair of guards supposedly watching the skiffs, but they didn’t have a chance when Catra hit them with her stun rod. In ten minutes, Bow and Catra had used rope and Catra’s uncanny stealth in creative fashion.

Catra hit the ignition of the first skiff and used the weight of one unconscious guard to trigger the pressure-sensitive accelerator in the floor.

The skiff started to zoom forward into the center of the base, at a mild clip, drifting in a loose arc without someone steering.

Catra leapt to the second one before the first skiff left the hanger. The second skiff’s power cells thrummed as she hit the power. It didn’t move and Catra had to dodge part of their setup. A final leap brought Catra to the third skiff, where Bow waited.

Already, the first skiff was halfway across the base. It careened off an supply depot with a crash, and alarms were being called out, as it continued towards another structure. It wasn’t moving any faster than Catra at a dead run, but that was a lot of metal moving quickly.

Catra sped them out of the hanger, holding it steady as Bow took aim at the second skiff they’d left behind. Moments after he loosed the arrow, Catra banked to the side.

They’d used the rope to suspend a heavy crate of parts over the second skiff’s accelerator. More weight means more speed.

This skiff shot like a frightened bat from an alcove into the night, streaking towards the main building, as Horde soldiers were collecting on the grounds to figure out what was happening.

Screams rose and a few stun rods tried to hit this new target as it rocketed towards them, but without a driver, it kept moving. Catra cackled, as she circled towards the outer edge of the base. She was almost certain she saw the fading haze of violet and infrared at the top of one wall.

Catra wondered when the second cable was going to reach its limit. While Bow tied up the hanger guards, Catra had tied one end of the rope to the main rail of the second skiff, and snuck the other end to the base of the base central tower.

When the rope went taut, the effect was immediate and incredible.

The raging skiff suddenly whiplashed as the rope caused it to turn nearly on a pin, circling the tower. A few of the weighted parts on the accelerator may have been flung off, but the skiff barely lost speed as all of its momentum went centrifugal, orbiting the main tower. Six or seven guards were clotheslined by the cable, and the remainder near the center of the base dropped to ground as soon as they realized what was happening.

The first skiff crashed into a wall and finally halted, but not before dropping a section of the wall.

Catra couldn’t stop giggling, as she turned her skiff towards the main barracks, to harry the guards streaming out.

They started getting stun rod fire at that point, and they both hunkered down. “Well, what’s your plan now?!”

“Chaos, Bow, chaos is the plan!” She dodged aside the barracks to tear through a small stack of toxin barrels, causing several to burst open and spill across the ground upon impact, creating a growing patch of glowing goo, all of which the soldiers avoided.

They both shrieked as they almost collided with the still moving, driverless skiff, its orbit accelerating as it wrapped itself around the central tower. Catra veered out of the way, heading towards the main gate. “Ready to jump?”

“What? You- Oh heck, yes, get me off this crazy thing!”

She nodded and checked her angle, before shouting “Jump!”

They both leapt from the skiff, as it raced towards the main gate, even without the accelerator active.

Catra was careful to roll across the ground to bleed off a little momentum and was up and over to Bow before he’d gotten to his feet. “Come on, buddy, cover is our friend!” She had gotten him to his feet as a twin explosion shook the ground.

The first explosion was their skiff hitting the main gate. The second was their spinning skiff hitting the main watch tower as its rope finished winding. Both gave a satisfying *whump* of fire as their power cores cracked.

Catra dragged Bow behind a second an auxiliary building, probably where the bathrooms and sonic showers were. “You okay, Bow?”

“Ugh, your plans are worse than Glimmer’s. I think I bruised a rib.”  He lifted his arm from his side, and took a deep breath. “But I’m okay. Did you call me ‘buddy’?”

A blast of green energy caused them both to jump, illuminating their faces in the darkened camp. “No. Hope you can fight, ‘cause now we do some fist-face sparkling.”

Catra’s aim with the stun-rod was good, but not the top of the class. She was far more interested in protecting them from any guards that got close, while Bow knocked the few snipers off the wall’s parapet. Still, as they dodged from cover to cover, they were being draw closer and closer to the main building, where most of the smoke was still pouring out from the chimney at the top.

“You think-” Bow ducked behind a barrel to avoid another stun blast, “- that they made it?”

Catra growled as she shoved a particularly heavy guard off of her, feinting with the stunrod before clawing at his exposed inner elbow with one hand, causing him to drop his shield. She stunned the guard, “They better be. We made enough noise!”

More guards came, threatening to overwhelm them. Catra was going to get killed or, worse, captured here.

Catra was frantically seeking an exit for them both. One of the guards was about to stun her with a blast of green, but was knocked off his feet as a… vase? shattered on his helmet. Behind them, where their first skiff had broken part of the wall, were Plumerians, wielding weapons crafted from their homesake goods, shouting in challenge.

The pulse of the battle shifted, but it wasn’t sure, as these untrained fighters began to fall to stunning green light.

Catra got hit from behind as she was throttling a soldier who’d gotten inside her reach. She had enough time to make a weak noise as she fell to the side. Her body buzzed with the energy of the blast, and a soldier kicked her over to lie on her back. His boot rested on her chest as he prepared to fired another blast between her eyes. Her body buzzed harder and harder, as she desperately clawed, weakly, meekly at his boot.

All at once, the guard looked alarmed and away from Catra, as it became clear that it wasn’t Catra vibrating, but the ground that was rumbling. The rumble became a shake, then the earth began rock violently around them. The guard that had been standing on her chest fell over, balance lost.

Catra was able to catch sight of the main building as it exploded outward in a volley of neon light. She recognized a cascade of the poison being used out from the building, as it transformed into a wave of more neon moss.

Riding the wave was a neon smudged but triumphant Perfuma, laughing in her triumph. As a few soldiers tried to approach her to stun her, they were hit by a blast of foliage and vines, the greenery illuminated with neon moss.

The camp became suddenly illuminated by the neon, as Catra finally managed to roll over to the dropped stun rod nearby. Another pair of boots came into sight, and Catra realized was about to be kicked in the face until a flash of violet and infrared placed Glimmer before them.

“He-ya!” She threw a roundhouse punch that Catra recognized from sparring, this time with Glimmer’s fist glowing in the night.

The soldier under Catra stopped thrashing, and she got up, seeing that with the two princesses, the battle was well and truly turned against the Horde.

Glimmer smiled rakish at Catra, “Sorry it took so long, we had to figure out how to break the machine first.”

Catra reached out to brush Glimmer’s cheek. Glimmer looked startled, and Catra explained, “You had a bit of neon moss on you.” There was a complex series of emotions that transformed Glimmer’s face. Catra did not have time to analyze what was on her mind.  “Come on, let’s finish this.”

Glimmer nodded and they went back to fighting until there were no Horde standing, with the remaining forces managing to flee the facility through the shattered main gate.

Everyone tended to their wounded but for the most part, there were no serious injuries, a major surprise and blessing. More of that ‘karma’, Catra thought, only a little derisively.

Previously dead trees were already sprouting bits of glowing moss and radiant mushrooms, giving the forest an oddly celebratory feel, like that day in Thaymor.

Perfuma turned to address her people. She was covered in a sweep of neon colors of all varieties, her face a mask nearly as bright as her pride. “Thank you everyone for your dedication! While we may not be the same tribe we were yesterday, we will always be the same tribe together as we work to the future! We are going to join the Rebellion! We rebuild here, and we will not lose our home to the Horde today, nor ever!”

The Heart Blossom looked healthy again, its heart glowing brightly.

The village cheered, as Glimmer brightened, nearly as excited and proud of her successful recruitment as these people were for saving their homeland. The villagers had already been discussing how to celebrate their victory. Everyone in the village had something glowing on their person somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheee longest chapter yet. 
> 
> I’m gonna have to tweak the established canon a bit to make all this work out, like expanding Perfuma’s abilities. It was heavily implied that She-Ra was the reason that the poison was purged in the land, with Perfuma’s assistance. I felt the need to solve the issue with a ‘death and regrowth’ approach instead, rather than let Plumeria die just because some mythical hero didn’t show up. 
> 
> More changes are a-comin’, but this is the most drastic divergence from established universe *physics* as far as I plan. Derailing really starts next chapter...
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
